Let It Be
by SerenBex
Summary: Part 3 of Katy Mitchell's story.
1. Chapter 1 Jack, Ben & Jay

_**A/N: Hello darlings! So, here it is, Chapter One of '**Let it Be**' (credit for the title goes to VampireGleekxx who suggested it to me. I totally, totally love the Beatles and as soon as it was suggested I thought it would be perfect!). It's slightly different to '**Not Another One**' and '**Just Watch Me**' - at the beginning, at least. You'll find out why when you start reading!**_

_**Anyway, I really hope you enjoy this! :)**_

* * *

"Katy?" Jack called softly, knocking on the teenager's bedroom door. He hadn't heard her come in in the early hours of the morning, but he didn't most mornings. Pushing open the door slightly, he saw that the curtains were still drawn. In the dim light of the room, Jack saw the covers bunched up in the middle of the bed and smiled, shaking his head.

Closing the door quietly, he retreated, picked up his jacket and headed out of the flat. After the night before at Ray's flat he had a pounding headache and was looking forward to getting his head down in the office of the boxing gym.

"Ronnie." He said as enthusiastically as he could manage, answering the call from his wife. "How are you? How are the kids?"

"Yeah, we're fine thanks. How was Ray's?"

"Quiet…" Jack lied.

There was a pause on the other end of the line. "Liar!" Ronnie laughed. Jack chuckled. "Did you have a good time?"

"Yeah, it was good."

"Did Katy get in alright?" Ronnie asked, barely giving him time to finish his sentence. "She didn't text me."

"I looked in on her this morning." Jack assured her, wedging his phone between his ear and his shoulder as he unlocked the door to the gym. "She hasn't surfaced yet."

"Are you surprised? She hates mornings at the best of times and the club doesn't close 'til three." His wife chuckled. "Anyway, today's her day off, isn't it? Katy'll probably stay in bed 'til this afternoon."

Jack flipped the lights and went down the steps. "That's true. Listen, babe, I've gotta go…"

"You got a hangover?" Ronnie asked knowingly.

"Just a little one."

She chuckled again. "Alright, I'll speak to you later."

Smiling, Jack shook his head as he hung up. Putting his phone down on the desk, he flipped through the envelopes he'd collected from the post box. Sighing, he dropped them on the desk and settled himself on the sofa for a nap.

x-x

"Maybe Katy found it?" Ben suggested anxiously. He and Jay were in the Arches, trying to work out how they were going to find the photo frame that had killed Heather. "I mean, you let her know Jean had it, right?"

"Yeah, but she never text back." Jay snapped at him.

"Is she working today?"

The older boy shrugged. "I dunno! Probably… it's Saturday."

"Right… let's get the spare key to the flat and go and have a look." Ben suggested standing up.

"Spare key?"

"Yeah, Roxy's one. It's on the hook in the kitchen."

Jay shook his head. "We can't just go into the flat and hunt around her room?" He hissed.

"She won't know!"

"What if someone comes back? What if she's not at work today?"

"We'll ring the bell first." Ben said, thinking on his feet. "If no one answers we'll let ourselves in. Then if someone comes back we'll… if it's Jack we'll say Katy sent us to get something with her key and if it's Katy then we'll just tell her… we'll tell her that Roxy said I could borrow a CD or something."

"That is rubbish."

Ben shrugged. "Well let's at least try it."

With a sigh, Jay nodded. Taking off his overalls, he locked the door of the garage behind him and they made their way home to pick up the key. Outside the flat, Ben rang the bell and spoke into the intercom. They waited a couple of minutes and, when there was no answer or any sign that there was anyone inside, he inserted the key in the lock and turned it.

"I still ain't sure about this…" Jay muttered as Ben unlocked the flat door and went inside.

Closing the door behind them, Jay followed the younger boy into Katy's bedroom. The curtains were still drawn and the duvet was all bunched up. With a sigh, Ben tidied it quickly, pulling the curtains open. Jay looked around the room awkwardly, not wanting to go through Katy and Roxy's things.

Ben, however, did not share his qualms and began rooting through his cousins' belongings, opening drawers and rummaging around inside. He even lifted the mattress in Ruby's cot to check underneath it. Jay shoved him and replaced the mattress carefully.

"Help me then!" Ben snapped.

Sighing and rolling his eyes, Jay gingerly prodded a pile of neatly folded clothes before turning his attention to the wardrobe.

"It ain't here." The older boy sighed after about twenty minutes of searching the room.

"Maybe it's in the living room? Or Ronnie's room?" Ben suggested.

"Don't be thick!" Jay snapped. "Katy's not an idiot."

"Alright. So it ain't here." Ben agreed with a sigh. "Come on, let's get out of here before someone comes back."

No sooner had they opened the bedroom door, however, than the flat door opened as well. Jay swore under his breath as Jack walked in. He narrowed his eyes at the two teenage boys standing in his living room.

"What are you two doing in here?" He demanded suspiciously.

"Katy asked me to come and get her a jacket." Ben said quickly. "She gave me her keys…"

"Right. You better get her a jacket then." Jack answered, turning away to put the kettle on.

After a hurried, silent argument, Ben returned to the teenager's bedroom and grabbed a denim jacket off the back of the chair at her dressing table. They said a hurried goodbye to Jack and almost raced each other out of the flat and back to the house. Thankfully Phil and Shirley were both out when they got there, so the boys were able to talk freely.

"We'll put her jacket in our wardrobe until we can get it back in her room." Ben said. "So, we know Katy doesn't have it, so either Jean's still got it or it went in that rubbish van."

"But we can't go back and look through the stuff at the Vic. Jean would do her nut!"

x-x

"Yeah, I'm feeling much better now thanks babe." Jack chuckled, taking a gulp of his tea and sitting on the sofa. "A kip in the gym and a couple of brews sorted me right out."

"Have you seen Michael today? How's the baby?" Ronnie asked.

Jack leant forward to put his mug on the coffee table and swapped his mobile to the other ear. "Yeah, apparently she's getting there. He said Janine's doing worse than Scarlett."

"I can believe that. It can't be easy having such a premature baby."

"Yeah." Her husband agreed, turning on the TV and pressing the mute button before the sound reached his wife on the other end of the line. Ronnie hated it when he was watching TV at the same time as talking to her.

"Have you seen Katy yet today?" Ronnie asked, laughing softly.

Jack chuckled. "Nah, but her curtains are open now and her bed's made… well, as made as it ever is, so I'm guessing she's gone out. Ben and Jay said she'd sent them to get her a jacket, so she's probably with them and Lola. I dunno…"

"That's good. Billy will be glad." His wife said. "He's been on at me to get Katy to spend some time with Lola to talk about being a teenage mum."

"Lola will have it harder than Katy, I reckon."

"How'd you work that one out?"

Taking a sip of tea before he answered, Jack shrugged. "Lola hasn't got you looking out for her, has she?"

"'Course she has. She's family."

"Well, yeah." Jack agreed. "But she's not Katy, is she?"

"No, she's not. Although what you mean by that I have no idea!"

"Come off it, Ron!" Her husband chuckled. "Katy's your princess, isn't she? Whatever she wants, she gets."

"No she doesn't! I don't spoil her." Ronnie argued, sounding offended. "She works hard. I just… help her out a bit. Anyway, if anyone spoils her it's you!"

Jack laughed. "Maybe. Anyway, what time are you home tomorrow?"

"About lunchtime. You know Roxy doesn't like early mornings!"

Jack laughed and said goodbye. He hung up and settled down on the sofa to watch whatever James Bond film they were showing before meeting his brothers at the Vic for a couple of pints later.


	2. Chapter 2 Ronnie

"Roxy!" Ronnie shouted up the stairs, getting more and more impatient. "Come on! The train is at quarter to. If we leave much later we'll miss it!"

"There's a train every half an hour, Ron!" The younger blonde shouted back. "We can just catch the next one!"

"Yes and we've already missed three, Roxanne!"

Rolling her eyes in frustration, Ronnie went back into the living room, scooping James off the carpet and settling him in the buggy beside Ruby. Amy was pulling all the toys out of the bag her Aunt had packed them in and piling them up beside it. Sighing, Ronnie sent her to find Roxy, before repacking the bag.

"Calm down, darlin'!" Peggy said with a smile. "Your sister will be ready in her own time."

"We haven't got time, Auntie Peg!" Ronnie reminded her. "The train leaves in twenty minutes."

"Yeah and we'll be on it, Veronica! Chill out!" Roxy sighed, coming down the staircase with her daughter clutched to her hip.

Ronnie rolled her eyes again and picked up her bag from the sofa. "See you, Auntie Peg. Thanks for having us."

"Oh, anytime, darlin'." Their Aunt told them, giving each woman a hug in turn, before bending to kiss the children. "Make sure you bring your sister next time."

"We will." The older sister agreed, manoeuvring the buggy through the door sideways. "She wanted to come with us, but she had to work."

"I understand. Give her my love."

Promising to do so, the sisters and their children made their way towards the tube station, still bickering. Roxy didn't understand why her sister was rushing to get back to the Square, while Ronnie was getting frustrated at her younger sister's apparent attempts to delay them. It was almost as though Roxy was trying to prove that there was no need to rush.

To Ronnie's frustration, they made the train with time to spare, even though they were moving at Roxy's ridiculously slow pace. All the way back to Walford the younger Mitchell gloated until Ronnie wanted to slap her. The older blonde was relieved when the tube stopped and they had to get off.

"Why don't you and Amy go and get dinner from the chippy?" Ronnie suggested as they started walking towards the Square. "It's dinner time and I really don't feel like cooking tonight."

"Alright. D'you want me to take the buggy too… let you and Jack say hello in private?" She grinned.

Ronnie rolled her eyes. "Don't be ridiculous."

Roxy chuckled and headed towards the chippy, swinging Amy's hand in hers as she went. Watching them before she headed on her way, Ronnie smiled fondly. Sometimes she wondered whether Amy was more mature than her mother.

On her way through the market she stopped to chat to several people, being filled in on what had been going on while she'd been away. Lots of people asked about Peggy and her niece was only too happy to tell them what she'd been doing.

Finally Ronnie made her way up the steps to the flat, unlocking the outer door before returning to lift her son and niece out of the buggy and carrying them inside. Kissing Jack quickly, she set James and Ruby down on the floor in the living room while her husband went to fetch the buggy.

"Had a good time?" Jack asked, wrapping his arms around his wife moments later.

She smiled and kissed him, resting her forehead against his. "Yeah, thanks. It was nice to see Auntie Peggy and Aunt Sal. What about you?"

"It's been quiet. I haven't seen Katy all weekend."

"Did she stay at Tyler's?"

"I'm assuming so, because I ain't seen him around either." Jack chuckled.

Ronnie laughed, gave him another quick kiss and pulled herself free of his embrace. "Roxy's gone to get fish and chips for dinner." She called, carrying her bag into the bedroom and starting to unpack, piling the washing up on the bed.

"Great, I'm starving!" Her husband answered, scooping James up off the floor and holding him high above his head. James giggled excitedly.

In the bedroom Ronnie suddenly stopped what she was doing. Something didn't seem right about Jack not seeing Katy all weekend. It wasn't like her not to let them know what she was doing and where she was, unless she was in one of her moods. According to Jack she'd been perfectly cheerful since they'd been away, so she wasn't likely to have stormed off anywhere.

"Have you tried phoning Katy?" She called, keeping her tone casual.

"I tried this morning after you let me know you'd be late."

Pulling out her mobile, Ronnie dialled her younger sister's number. "I'll let her know we're back."

She waited a couple of moments for the call to connect. It didn't even ring before Ronnie heard her sister's voice on the other end. "Alright?"

"Yeah, Katy, we're ba–"

"Haha! Gotcha! I'm not actually here at the moment, so if you leave a message after the tone I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Thanks."

Growling in frustration and thinking about how many times she'd fallen for the teenager's stupid answerphone message, Ronnie dropped her mobile onto the bed. Chewing on her thumbnail, she hesitated, wondering whether she was being too overprotective and jumping to conclusions. The blonde was convinced that something was wrong.

"I'm just gonna pop out and get a bottle of wine." She said, shoving her phone into the pocket of her jeans, before grabbing her jacket and bag and disappearing through the flat door. Jack didn't have a chance to say anything before the door closed behind her.

Ronnie almost leapt down the steps, practically running to the Moon boys' house and hammering on the front door. When Tyler answered it a couple of moments later, dressed only in a pair of jogging bottoms with his hair tousled, her heart leapt.

"I've just come to tell Katy we're back." She said with a smile.

Tyler looked confused. "Katy ain't here." He told her slowly. "I ain't seen her since… last weekend. I ain't even spoken to her since Thursday."

"Have you two had an argument or something?" Ronnie asked trying to hide her worry.

"Nah… we just… well, she told me that she kissed Joey Branning."

"What?" The blonde was shocked. That didn't sound like her sister.

"Well, he kissed her." Tyler clarified. "But we talked about it and decided to forget about it."

"Hang on, when was this?"

"Last Friday?"

Ronnie was quiet for a moment, thinking hard. Why hadn't Katy told her any of this? The teenager had been working a lot since Phil had put her in charge of the club, but surely she'd have had time to tell her that something like that had happened. The last thing Katy had kept from her was the truth about Heather's murder.

This realisation made Ronnie even more concerned. "D'you have any idea where Katy is?"

"Nah." Tyler shook his head. "I've been trying to ring her, but… oh my god… nothing's happened to her, has it?"

Ronnie looked at him seriously, chewing her lip. "I don't know."


	3. Chapter 3 Ronnie

"So? You're sure Tyler hasn't seen her this weekend?" Jack clarified, perching on the arm of the sofa and staring at Ronnie.

She shook her head. "No. He says he hasn't even spoken to her since Thursday. When did you actually see her? Properly see her to talk to?"

"Saturday morning, like I said. She was asleep."

"But did you actually see her?" Ronnie pressed, leaning forwards in the chair.

Jack hesitated. "Well… no… but…"

"So when did you see her?"

"Friday morning, before I went to work." Jack said slowly, the seriousness of the situation sinking in. "But she had lunch with Derek."

"Derek?" Roxy screeched.

Her brother-in-law shrugged. "Yeah… the two of them have been getting on scarily well lately, considering the fact that they couldn't stand being on the same Square a few weeks ago."

"So… we should talk to Derek? See if he's seen her?"

"Jay and Ben saw her yesterday, didn't they? They came round here to get her jacket." He reminded his wife and Roxy. "We should ask them."

Ronnie stood up and nodded. "I'll go and speak to them." As Jack stood up to follow her, Ronnie shook her head. "No, you stay here. You're not exactly their favourite person, are you?"

Heading quickly across the Square to her cousins' house, Ronnie kept her mobile clutched tightly in her hand, glancing at it every couple of seconds in the hope that it would ring. She waited impatiently on the doorstep after banging, probably more violently than was necessary. After a couple of minutes, the door opened and Shirley stared at her, looking confused at the expression on the younger woman's face.

"Is Ben here? And Jay?" Ronnie demanded, barging past Shirley and going into the living room. "Boys, did you see Katy yesterday? Do you know where she is?"

Ben shook his head. "Nah… we only saw her for a bit."

"Yeah… we just bumped into her and chatted for a while." Jay agreed.

"And she asked you to get her a jacket?" Ronnie clarified. Both boys nodded. "You have no idea where she went?"

"Nah, sorry, Ron. Have you tried ringing her?" Ben asked.

Ronnie raised an eyebrow and didn't bother to dignify his question with an answer. Instead she smiled weakly and stood up, moving towards the door. She tried to speak, but the words caught in her throat.

"She'll turn up." Shirley said, following her to the front door. "Katy's not stupid."

"Thanks, Shirl."

Phil poked his head around the living room door and smirked at his cousin. "You know Katy, she's probably stormed off in one of her moods. Jack said something she didn't like or Tyler's annoyed her and she's gone off on one. She'll be back in a bit all bolshy and argumentative like she usually is."

"Thanks… that's really helpful." Ronnie snapped sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

Annoyed that her cousin hadn't taken Katy's mysterious disappearance seriously, the Mitchell headed back across the Square towards the flat. Remembering that James and Amy were asleep at the last moment, she caught the door before it slammed and closed it gently.

Jack and Roxy were sitting on the sofa with their mobiles on the coffee table when she walked in. They glanced up questioningly as Ronnie dropped heavily into the armchair and blinked silently at them.

"No luck?" Jack asked gently, sitting forward and leaning towards her.

Ronnie shook her head. "Nothing. Phil reckons she's just gone off in a mood."

"Well maybe she has?" Roxy suggested slowly, shrugging. "You don't reckon she's gone to her old house or anything?"

"No, Katy said she'd never go back there."

"Not even to her Mum's grave?" The younger blonde pressed.

Her sister sighed. "Only for her Mum's birthday."

They all looked at each other. Ronnie leapt to her feet and went into her younger sisters' bedroom, emerging a couple of minutes later with a Johnny Depp calendar. She flipped through the pages quickly before sighing and dropping it on the coffee table.

"Karen's birthday was in March; March 11th." She told them. "Katy missed it. Did she say anything to either of you about it being her birthday?"

Jack and Roxy shook their heads. "So what do we do now?"

"I don't know." Ronnie admitted, sinking back into the chair and putting her head in her hands. She sighed deeply. "I really don't know."


	4. Chapter 4 Jack & Ronnie

_**A/N: I'm putting a language warning on this chapter – be warned!**_

The next morning, Monday, Ronnie and Jack were on an early train to Newport. Jack had convinced his wife that if there was any chance that Katy might be visiting her mother's grave they should at least go and see. Besides, he reminded her that she had never been there and it would mean a lot to her sister, even if she wasn't there.

Jack held Ronnie's hand tightly as they walked from the train station to the cemetery, trying not to pay too much attention to the surroundings. While Walford wasn't Chelsea or Kensington, it was very different from this area. Ronnie's grip on his hand tightened slightly as they passed a burned out car, parked half-on and half-off the pavement. She almost cut off his blood supply as they passed a group of children, no more than ten-years-old, hanging around on the corner.

"Oi!" One of them shouted as Jack and Ronnie passed. "You lost or something?"

"Nah, we're alright, thanks." Jack replied with a smile.

"You from London?" A little girl, who looked about six or seven, asked. She slid off the wall and started jogging towards them.

Ronnie blinked at her. "Err… yeah."

"What's it like? I bet London's well lush. I seen it on the telly, I have." She said as Jack smiled weakly and sped up, pulling Ronnie along with him. Realising they weren't going to answer, she stopped and glared after them. "I was only asking! Bloody hell! What's your fucking problem? Oi! I'm talking to you, stuck up bitch!"

As they did their best to ignore the child's abusive shouting, another, louder voice drowned her out. "Oi! Chantal? Get back here you little shit or I'll give you a slap!"

Increasing their pace even more, Jack and Ronnie turned the corner and breathed a joint sigh of relief. Jack checked the map on his phone and directed them along the next street. Neither of them said anything until they were standing on the pavement outside the cemetery. The large, black gates were far from inviting.

"Alright?" Jack asked gently, sensing Ronnie was reluctant to go in.

She nodded. "Yeah… I ain't been in a graveyard since Danielle."

"It's alright, babe. We're just gonna go in and see if Katy's here. I would tell you to stay here, but…" He glanced around and shrugged.

"It's OK." Ronnie assured him with a smile. "Two pairs of eyes are better than one."

Jack opened the gates and ushered his wife inside. "Any idea where we're looking?" He asked, scanning the rows upon rows of rows of gravestones that lay ahead of them.

"Katy said that it's underneath a tree at the back of the graveyard." Ronnie said, thinking back to what her sister had told her. "I'm guessing we need to head to the new part of the graveyard. These all look too old… look, 1923."

They made their way along the grassy path that twisted through the gravestones. Finally they reached newer headstones, made of shinier stone and engraved with gold and silver lettering. Many had bright flowers on them, some had toys and windmills and ornaments.

Jack kept a tight hold on her hand and Ronnie followed him along the rows until they finally found the grave that they were looking for. Out of respect for Katy, they stood silently in front of the grave for a moment.

"I feel like we should have brought some flowers or something." Ronnie muttered, almost guiltily, nudging the mass of very dead stems that were lying in front of the headstone with her toe.

"Katy wouldn't mind." Jack pointed out, sliding his arm around her waist. "Karen Elizabeth Parker. 11th March 1971 to 12th December 2009." He read quietly. "Died, aged 38, beloved Mother, Sister and Aunt. She will be greatly missed by all."

"She was only three years older than me."

"Yeah…"

"And my dad got her pregnant and left her with a baby." Ronnie murmured, narrowing her eyebrows. "She didn't deserve all this."

"No, she didn't, but now we've got to look after Katy and Ruby to try and make it up to her." Jack told her seriously, cradling her face gently in his hands and kissing her.

Ronnie nodded. "Well, she's obviously not here and I doubt she has been, seeing as these are very old."

"So what next?" Jack questioned, starting to lead her back through the graveyard towards the gates. "Back to Walford?"

Nodding again, Ronnie sighed. "Actually… this is going to sound stupid…"

"What?"

"Can we go and find their house?"

Jack furrowed his eyebrows at her. "Why?"

Shrugging, Ronnie pushed the gate open and stepped through, pausing on the pavement while her husband closed it. "I just want to see where she grew up. I mean, I want to know what kind of life she had."

Jack, knowing that Katy's childhood hadn't been a barrel of laughs, thought it was a very bad idea. "You do know it wasn't all Barbies and ice creams and playing in the street with her friends, don't you?" He asked his wife gently. "Katy had to grow up fast."

"I know that." The blonde agreed vehemently. "But I still want to see."

Sighing, he shrugged and looked around, pulling out his mobile and opening up the map. "Do you know the address?"

"4, Dove Way, Duffryn." Ronnie told him and watched as Jack entered the address into his mobile and waited for the map to load. "Is it far?"

"It's about a 40 minute walk. We could get a cab?"

Ronnie shook her head. "No, let's walk."

Jack didn't look as though he thought that was a particularly good idea. "Ron… let's get a cab, yeah? It's a long way."

When she didn't argue, Jack dialled directory enquiries and got the number for a taxi service. Within ten minutes, he was helping Ronnie into the back of a silver Mercedes and giving the driver directions to Katy's old house.

"Cheers, mate." Jack said with a smile, handing over the fare and slamming the car door behind him.

As the taxi drove away, he looked up and followed Ronnie's gaze towards the rows of houses in terraces of three or four. They were built from dark coloured bricks and each had a door and three windows. Most had tarmac or brick driveways, but a couple had lawns in various states of care. One or two of the houses had a couple of tubs of flowers in their front garden, but most were bare.

"This is it, Number 4." Ronnie muttered, pointing to the house on the end of the second terrace of houses. It was the one closest to the roundabout and had a basketball hoop attached to the wall between the front door and the ground floor window. The house was a million miles away from any in Walford.

Jack put his arm around Ronnie, holding her close as they looked at the house. It was tiny and dingy and looked as though it hadn't been cared for in a long time. Number 4 was one of the houses with a lawn and a few straggly, neglected shrubs, but both the grass and the bushes were overgrown and threatening to take over the driveway and the pavement beyond the broken wooden fence.

"Come on, babe." Jack urged, trying to pull Ronnie away. "Let's get back to the Square and work out what we should do next."

With a sigh, Ronnie nodded and turned. As she did, she found herself looking at a woman who seemed completely out of place in the street. Her honey-coloured hair was twisted up in a neat bun and she wore an expensive-looking tailored skirt suit. Her gaze flicked over Ronnie and Jack, before moving to the house that they were looking at.

She smiled politely. "Hello, could I possibly ask… do you live here?"

"Oh, no… we were just… looking." Ronnie told her quickly.

"That's a shame. I was wondering… oh," she flapped her hand dismissively at the couple and smiled again, "it doesn't matter!"

Intrigued, Jack looked at her, tilting his head slightly as he surveyed the woman. "Nah, go on?"

"I was wondering whether you knew anything about the former occupants. I knocked on the door, but the current residents were far from helpful... or polite."

"My sister…" Ronnie started before she could help herself. "I mean, why are you asking?"

The woman narrowed her eyes, curiously, sweeping her gaze over them again. "I was wondering whether there was a forwarding address. My sister and her daughter lived here and I was hoping to get in contact with them."

"You're Katy's aunt?"

"Katy? You know Katherine?" The woman asked in astonishment. "How?"

"She's my sister." Ronnie said, struggling to believe what was going on. "We had the same dad."

"You're Archie Mitchell's daughter?"

"Sadly, yes." The blonde agreed. She held out her hand. "Ronnie Branning; this is my husband, Jack."

"Hazel Parker-Thomas." The woman introduced herself, shaking Ronnie's proffered hand. "I'm Karen's older sister. Do you know where she is?"

Jack glanced at his wife, who was blinking at Hazel nervously. "Maybe we should go and get a coffee or something."

Hazel looked at him in confusion, shaking her head slowly. "What is it?"

"Karen died." Ronnie blurted. "Two and a half years ago."


	5. Chapter 5 Ronnie

Jack drove Hazel's car into Newport, parking in a car park near the city centre. The woman was in shock following Ronnie's bombshell about her sister's death. As Jack drove, his wife filled Hazel in on the events surrounding Karen's suicide, before telling her about Katy and Ruby. She wasn't entirely sure that the older woman was taking anything in, but as Jack parked up Hazel nodded.

"So Katy's happy then?" She asked quietly. "That's good."

"Yeah, I think so." Ronnie smiled, hoping it was true. "Can I ask… why didn't you know about Karen?"

"I… we fell out… over your father, actually." Hazel admitted. "My ex-husband… well, he didn't like the fact that Karen was having an affair with a married man, especially one who was so much older than her. He forbade me from talking to her; especially after Katherine… Katy… was born. I lost contact with our other sisters, too. I've only seen them twice since I got married; at our parents' funerals. Then, a year ago, we got divorced and I decided to track Karen down. Obviously I left it too late."

She broke down into sobs and Ronnie put an arm around her, rubbing her back soothingly. Glancing helplessly at Jack she widened her eyes and shrugged.

"Where do you live?" Jack asked, turning and looking at the two women in the back seat.

"Richmond in London." Hazel muttered through her tears.

"Right, we'll drive you home and then head back to Walford from there." He said, taking charge of the situation.

x-x

"Any luck?" Roxy demanded as soon as they stepped through the flat door.

Ronnie sighed, shook her head and collapsed on the sofa, not even bothering to answer properly. Jack put his flat keys on the kitchen counter before following his wife into the living room and shrugging at Roxy. The younger blonde started chewing on her thumbnail, perching on the arm of the sofa and looking between them.

"Nothing?"

"We actually met another of Katy's Aunts." Jack told her. "Hazel didn't even know Karen was dead."

"Bloody hell…" The blonde muttered, shaking her head. "I didn't even know Katy had another aunt."

"I don't know Katy knows." Ronnie said with a shrug. "Hazel's never seen her."

"What are we gonna do, then?" Roxy asked nervously. "Maybe we should call the cops and report her as missing?"

There was a long pause as the three of them considered it. There was no doubt that Phil would be far from impressed if they got the police involved. Added to that, Ronnie was wary of involving them because of Katy's involvement, albeit accidental, in Heather's death.

"If she's not back by the end of the week we'll call the police." Ronnie decided after what seemed a long time. "For all we know Phil's right and she's just gone off."

"That doesn't make me feel much better, Ron." Roxy told her. "Remember what happened the last time she went off in a mood."

The older of the sisters sighed. "I know, Rox. But at least we know that Ben and Jay saw her on Saturday afternoon, so it's only been two days since she went."

x-x

Roxy went to cover Katy's shift at the club that evening and Jack had an event at the boxing gym, so Ronnie was alone in the flat with the three children. She resisted the urge to turn the television volume any louder, not wanting to wake them up.

Just as she was settling down in front of a film with a large glass of wine and her dinner, there was a knock at the flat door. Her mind instantly flew to the possibility that it was her teenage sister outside and Ronnie rushed to open the door. Realising who was on the doorstep, her heart sank.

"Jay, come in." She said, unable to summon any enthusiasm at his appearance. "Are you OK?"

"Yeah…" He followed the blonde into the flat, twisting his hands nervously.

"What d'you want then?"

Jay rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly as he tried to phrase what he was about to admit. "Look… it weren't my idea, alright? It was Ben… I didn't have much choice… I just went along with it."

Ronnie's heart seemed to stop. "What?"

"When we said that we saw Katy on Saturday… well… we didn't."

"What?" The blonde repeated harshly.

"We used Roxy's spare key to come and look for something in Katy's room." He said guiltily. "Jack came back and Ben told him that Katy had sent us to get a jacket." It was only then that Ronnie realised that he was clutching something. She identified it quickly as her younger sister's denim jacket. "We didn't know that she'd gone off somewhere… we thought she was at work or something. I'm really sorry, Ron."

It took a couple of moments for the implications of Jay's confession to work their way into her mind. "So… what you're telling me is that no one has seen or heard from Katy since Friday?"

"I… I guess." Jay agreed slowly, a look of horror appearing on his face.

"She was supposed to be your friend, Jay!" Ronnie almost shouted at him. "She's been stressing herself out trying to protect you and… and…"

"I'm really, really sorry."

"Maybe sorry isn't enough this time." Ronnie shrugged.


	6. Chapter 6 Derek

"Derek?" Jack called, crossing the Square on Tuesday afternoon.

The older brother glanced at his watch before slowing to a halt and smiling at the taller man. "Jack, what can I do for you?"

"You ain't seen Katy, have you?"

"Not for a couple of days. Why? What's she done now?"

Jack glanced around before lowering his voice and leaning in conspiratorially. "She's missing; we ain't seen her since Friday."

"That's when I saw her last." Derek said thoughtfully, nodding slowly.

"Have you got any idea where she might be?"

There was a long pause and then the older Branning shook his head. "No idea."

"Well… if you think of anything, let us know, yeah?" His brother asked, looking unconvinced.

Derek nodded and watched as Jack walked away in the direction of the boxing gym. Glancing at his watch again, the older Branning pulled out his phone and dialled a number, holding the phone to his ear. It took a couple of rings for the person on the other end to answer.

"Derek?"

"Yeah, Mike… listen, that guy I asked you to keep an eye out for, Paul Turley, have you seen him around lately?" Derek asked, looking around as he headed down Bridge Street towards the Café.

"Nah, not a sign. I've had all the boys on it. No one's spotted him out and about."

"Interesting…" Derek mused. "Listen, can you get a location for me? I think he may have taken something I need to get back."

"Burglary?"

"Kidnap."

"I'll scout around and phone you later." Mike promised.

Derek nodded and hung up, pushing his phone back into his jacket pocket and looking around the café. Lucy was behind the counter and he smirked at her for a moment. The teenager glared back and the man decided that he had other things on his mind. Turning, he headed out of the café and back through the market to the Vic.

"Ah, Tyler." He said with a smile. "I hear your girlfriend has gone missing."

"What?"

"Katy? Jack said she's gone missing."

Tyler's face dropped. "I thought she'd just…"

"You thought she'd what?" The older man demanded, raising an eyebrow.

"I thought she'd dumped me." Tyler admitted. "For Joey. I thought that was why I hadn't heard from her."

"I can assure you that Katy had no intention of doing that. I admit I tried to encourage her to, but she was adamant that it was you and her. No one else would do." Derek told him. "But you know, if you don't do something soon, then Joey will come back and you will lose her. Joey's like me, see. Once he sets his mind on something he wants he won't stop until he gets it. And he wants your girlfriend."

Tyler stared at him for a moment, before rushing off, pushing Derek aside in his hurry to get past. The man watched as Tyler ran in the direction of his house, shaking his head and heading towards the pub.

"Mike, any news?" Derek said answering his phone as he watched Tyler's progress through the gardens.

"Yeah… he's staying in a flat in Balham."

"Balham?"

"Yeah… the flat belongs to a Nathan Parry."

Derek clenched his jaw, recognising the name. "And he's there now?"

"Yeah, they're both there."

"Anyone else?"

"There's a girl." Mike told him quickly.

The Branning's breath hitched in his throat at his informant's words. "Describe her."

"About 5'3" or 5'4", dark hair…" The man said, as though he was having to think about it. "I wasn't really paying attention to the girl."

It could have been Katy, Derek supposed. She was about 5 foot 3 and her hair was dark brown again. "Keep an eye on them and let me know if they leave."

Hanging up, Derek pushed open the doors of the Vic and went inside.


	7. Chapter 7

There was light streaming through the window when Katy finally came round. She blinked several times, before closing her eyes and snuggling back down under the duvet. Katy wished that Ronnie wouldn't open her curtains in an attempt to force her out of bed. Whenever the teenager complained, her sister simply maintained her position on the morning being the best time of the day.

Rolling over, Katy sighed and decided that she might as well get up and see what was going on. It wasn't until she pulled herself into a seating position that the events of the night before hit the teenager square in the face.

"Oh my…" She muttered, staring around in horror.

This definitely wasn't her bedroom. It was bare; ripped and faded wallpaper on the walls, exposed floorboards on the ground and no more furniture than the bed she had slept in. Launching herself out of the bed, Katy flew to the door and started hammering on it with her fists, screaming for attention.

After a matter of minutes she heard the sound of a key scraping in the lock and the door was flung open, sending Katy stumbling backwards into the bed. For a second, she blinked up at the figure looming over her, before scrambling backwards towards the headboard. As her back banged into the metal frame, Katy rolled sideways and stood beside the bed, backing even further away from the door.

"Where am I?" Katy demanded, folding her arms over her chest. Her stomach was churning and the teenager thought she was actually going to be sick. "What do you want?"

"Like I'd tell you where we are." Paul smirked, folding his own arms and leaning against the doorframe.

"It's not as though I can call anyone, is it?"

He chuckled. "True, but I'm still not gonna take the risk. What d'you take me for? I know you, Mitchell; slippery as an eel."

"So? What do you want?"

"Nathan Parry's like a brother to me, in' he? And you've stolen his daughter."

"I ain't done anything!" Katy spat. "I keep telling you, she ain't his daughter! Why won't you listen?"

"Yeah?" Paul moved across the room, grabbing her by the shoulders and pushing her against the wall roughly. "You keep saying, but why is it that I don't believe you, eh?"

"Because you're a scumbag." She told him, glaring at the man in front of her.

"Yeah, well, you still owe me, Katy. So you're gonna pay me back before you have any chance of me letting you go."

Katy's eyes widened. "Pay you back? How! You've got me locked up in this shit hole!"

"Ways and means, Mitchell." He said with a chuckle. "Ways and means."

"I ain't doing anything illegal." Katy shot at him as Paul headed towards the door.

"Gone soft have you?"

She shook her head and crossed the floorboards quickly. "Nah, but I'm totally straight now. I've got a kid and a business to think about. I ain't risking the pigs fitting me up with anything."

"Gone soft then." He repeated. Katy knew that he was trying to get a rise out of her and said nothing. Her stomach was churning worse than ever. "Oh well, we'll soon toughen you up again."

"I think I'm gonna throw up." Katy muttered, retching and covering her mouth with her hand.

"Yeah?" Paul reached outside and threw a bucket into the corner of the room. "There you go."

Speechless, Katy looked at it. When she looked back at the door, it was closing and the key was being turned in the lock. She flew at it, hammering with her fists and kicking and screaming for all she was worth.

Finally she sank to the ground, exhausted, putting her head in her hands and breaking down completely. She sobbed loudly wondering what was going to happen next. She jumped to her feet and rushed across the room, leaning over the bucket and retching loudly.

After a couple of minutes, Katy sank back down onto the floor and curled her arms around her legs. She wondered why she felt so rotten. Yes, she was scared of what Paul might do to her and what he meant about having ways and means for her to pay him back, but that didn't explain why she felt as though her stomach was trying to force its way up her throat.

Leaning back against the wall, she closed her eyes, praying for the first time in years. She just wanted to go home to Ruby and her sisters and Tyler. Tyler… Katy banged her head against the wall, punishing herself for the way she'd treated him. He probably thought she'd gone off with Joey. She couldn't blame him; since she'd told Tyler about the kiss she had hardly made an effort to make it up to him.

Then a thought occurred to her. Horrified, she did some brief calculations in her head, widening her eyes as a realisation hit her. She swore, putting her head in her hands and burst into tears.

"Oi, stop making such a racket." Paul snapped, opening the door and entering with a tray. "Here… have some food."

"What? I'm a prisoner now, am I?" The teenager snapped, not bothering to look up.

"'Til I get what I'm owed, yeah."

As soon as the door was locked again, Katy pulled herself up and moved to look at what Paul had brought her. On the tray was a mug half-full of lukewarm tea and a plate with a single slice of toast. Briefly the teenager considered chucking the whole lot at the door. Then she sighed and snatched up the toast, taking a bite.

When she'd finished, Katy sat on the bed, and leant against the headboard. Sitting cross-legged she started picking at the light blue nail varnish that was already chipping off her fingernails. Her realisation just complicated things even more. She had to get out of here and back to her family. There was no way Katy could risk getting herself into trouble with the law now.

"Ronnie's gonna do her nut." She muttered to herself, smoothing one hand over her stomach.

* * *

**_A/N: AAAAANNNDDD she's back! And still in one piece. For now :)_**

**_Thank you so much for sticking with this story! I'm so glad that you're still enjoying it! There are going to be some MASSIVE surprises coming up, so watch this space!_**


	8. Chapter 8 Ronnie

On Wednesday afternoon, Ronnie was standing in the living room of the flat, staring out of the window over the Square. She watched the comings and goings, lost in her own thoughts. It was five days since anyone had seen Katy and there was still no word. Ronnie's insomnia was in full force; she hadn't slept since Monday and that had only been for a couple of hours. Jack had tried to persuade her to go to the Doctor and get some pills, but she had refused.

She watched as Rose and Cora wandered towards the Vic with Patrick, all three of them dressed in black, as though they'd been to a funeral. Ronnie tried to forget that thought, not wanting to think about funerals while her sister was missing.

Dropping the net curtain, Ronnie turned away from the window, moving across the living room and pausing on the threshold to Katy and Roxy's bedroom. Since Katy had vanished, it had got steadily messier. First of all they had searched through everything, looking for any clues as to where Katy might have gone. Then Roxy's natural untidiness had taken over unchecked.

Sighing, Ronnie headed into her own bedroom, picking up the washing off the bed and starting to fold it up. For the children's sakes they were trying to keep things normal, although they were all confused about the teenager's absence. Roxy had taken them to Southend for the day to distract them.

A loud bang on the flat door caused the blonde to jump and drop the pile of James' t-shirts that she was about to put away in the chest of drawers. Not even bothering to pick them up as she usually would, Ronnie almost ran through the flat to open the door.

"Oh." She muttered, disappointed. "What do you want?"

"I found this in the gardens." Janine said, holding something out to Ronnie. "I guessed it might be your sister's. I found it under the bench she was sitting on when her bag fell on the floor."

Ronnie stared at her, unable to take in what she was saying. "What the hell are you on about?"

"This mobile." Janine said, speaking deliberately slowly. "Is it Katy's or not?"

"Y-Yeah… I think so." Ronnie muttered, taking the mobile and turning it over in her hands. "Where did you say you found it?"

Janine looked at her in disbelief, before exhaling loudly. "I was walking through the Gardens on Friday afternoon and I saw Katy looking as though she was a million miles away. I asked if she was alright and she knocked her bag onto the floor. Everything fell out and I thought I'd put it all back in for her. But obviously I hadn't."

"So you saw Katy on Friday afternoon?"

"Yeah…" Janine looked confused. "Hasn't she missed her phone?"

"She… no one's seen her since Friday." Ronnie admitted, moving into the living room and sitting on the sofa. Janine followed slowly, looking confused. "She was in a world of her own? Did she say anything?"

"No… she just snapped at me and then said thanks. To be honest I had other things on my mind." She admitted quietly.

The blonde thought about snapping at Janine, pointing out that because she was so self-absorbed her teenage sister, Ruby's mother, had seemingly vanished off the face of the Earth. Then she realised that Janine was probably thinking about her own baby. Ronnie didn't have the heart to lay into the other woman while she was suffering with her own problems.

"Right… well…" Ronnie smiled. "Thanks for this. How's Scarlett?"

"Hanging on. They say she's getting stronger every day."

Smiling, Ronnie stood up. "I'm really glad, Janine, honestly."

"Thanks." Janine nodded and headed towards the flat door. She put her hand on the latch, hesitating before opening the door. "I hope Katy turns up."

Ronnie nodded as Janine headed through the door. As soon as it shut, she went into her sisters' bedroom and opened the dressing table drawer, pulling out Katy's phone charger. Ronnie went back into the living room and plugged the charger into a socket, impatiently waiting for the mobile to turn on as it started to charge.

As soon as the display leapt into life, Ronnie went to the messages inbox. It asked her for a password and the blonde didn't even need to think before entering '2808' into the boxes on the screen; 28th of August, Ruby's birthday. From there, she opened the messages inbox and scrolled down the list.

The mobile beeped and vibrated as she looked at the list of names, signalling that Katy had received the messages since her mobile had turned itself off. The new messages were from her, Roxy, Jack, Tyler, Joey, Derek, Lauren and Whitney. Narrowing her eyes slightly, she opened the conversation with Derek first.

'_I need a favour. I'll pop into the office in the morning and fill you in. D. __**12/07/12 – 23:39**_'

_ 'I'm busy, can't it wait. If it's about Joey I'm not interested. Sorry. Katy. __**13/07/12 – 00:31**__'_

_ 'Derek… about this morning. That's between us, yeah? __**13/07/12 – 10:53**__'_

_ 'Of course. Your secret's safe with me and I meant what I said. D. __**13/07/12 – 10:57**__'_

_ 'Thanks. I'll see what I can do about Joey. __**13/07/12 – 11:02**__'_

_ 'Thank you. D. __**13/07/12 – 11:05**__'_

_ 'Just spoken to a mate of mine and I've got news. It'll have to wait until tomorrow. Any news on Joey? D. __**13/07/12 – 16:12**__'_

_ 'We've got a problem. Where are you? D. __**14/07/12 – 11:08**__'_

_ 'Answer your phone. D. __**14/07/12 – 11:41**__'_

_ 'I'm not messing around, Katy. We need to talk. D. __**14/07/12 – 12:07**__'_

Ronnie narrowed her eyes, considering the messages. It sounded as though Katy had some kind of deal going with Derek. That was a thought that filled her with dread. The teenager may have been able to handle herself, but it sounded as though something serious had happened to make Derek so jumpy.

Going back to the inbox, Katy opened the conversation with Joey. Almost all of the messages had been received and only a couple had been sent by her sister. Ronnie felt as though she was intruding, but she put that thought out of her mind, hoping that there would be anything to give her a clue as to where her sister might be. She doubted very much whether Katy would have run off with Joey, but she wouldn't have thought she'd be friendly with Derek, either.

_ 'Hey, how are you? How are things at the club? I'm sorry I just took off. Difference of opinion with my old man. Hopefully I'll be back to see you soon. We can have that drink I offered you. J x __**09/07/12 – 23:29**__'_

_ 'Are you upset 'cos I didn't say goodbye? Look, I'm sorry, yeah. Just text me back Katy. J x __**10/07/12 – 12:02**__'_

_ 'Fancy meeting up? I don't wanna come back to the Square yet, but we could meet on the High Street if you want? J x __**12/07/12 – 10:42**__'_

_ 'Are you ignoring me? J x __**12/07/12 – 13:21**__'_

_ 'Well done, finally caught on, have you? Look, I told you before, I'm with Tyler. Just leave me alone, Joey. __**12/07/12 – 13:44**__'_

_ 'Me or Tyler? No comparison. __**12/07/12 – 13:46**__'_

_ 'You're right, there isn't. Now leave me alone. __**12/07/12 – 14:00**__'_

_ 'Hi, Joey. Look, I'm really sorry about what I said yesterday. I was in a terrible mood. I'm working pretty much solidly at the moment, but I've got the weekend off. We could meet for coffee or something if you want? There's something I need to talk to you about. __**13/07/12 – 11:08**__'_

_ 'Sorry I didn't reply sooner. I've just got your message. That sounds good. Tomorrow at 3? Starbucks on the High Street? J x __**13/07/12 – 14:11**__'_

_ 'I'll meet you there :) __**13/07/12 – 14:15**__'_

_ 'Running late? :) J x __**14/07/12 – 15:12**__'_

_ 'If you can't make it give me a ring or something, yeah? J x __**14/07/12 – 15:28**__'_

_ 'Look, if you've changed your mind then that's fine. I've got somewhere to be anyway. J x __**14/07/12 – 15:51**__'_

_ 'Where were you yesterday? We can rearrange if you want? J x __**15/07/12 – 11:48**__'_

For a moment Ronnie considered the possibility that perhaps Katy was with Joey. Maybe he had sent the messages after the time they were supposed to meet to cover his tracks. But then she shook her head and mentally kicked herself for being paranoid.

She quickly scanned through Lauren and Whitney's messages. Before Friday the messages were just as she'd expected; joking about their families, gossip and arranging to meet up. After Friday the messages were pretty much the same; wondering where Katy was and demanding that she got back to them.

Ronnie's finger hovered over the button to open the conversation of messages with Tyler. It felt even more like she was prying into her sister's private life than reading the messages from Joey. This time, however, Ronnie resisted reading them, deciding that there was no way Tyler had anything to do with Katy's disappearance.

Ronnie couldn't help noticing the preview of the last message Tyler had sent her sister. She read it, before going to the home screen and locking the phone, no closer to finding out where Katy was.

_'Babe, look, I'm sorry if I upset you. Please ring me. I miss you and Ruby…'_


	9. Chapter 9 Tyler

"So you're saying you have absolutely no idea where Katy is?" Tyler demanded. He was pacing backwards and forwards in the living room of the flat, while Ronnie, Roxy and Jack watched him from the sofa. "Absolutely no idea?"

"No." Roxy snapped, putting her head in her hands.

"So why are we just sitting around here?" He snapped angrily. "We should be out there looking for her!"

"It's not as simple as that." Ronnie sighed, not look at him.

Tyler snorted angrily. "It is! We just have to go and find her."

"Look, calm down, Tyler." Jack said seriously, standing up and grabbing hold of the younger man's arms. "This ain't helping no one, right? We need to keep our heads clear so we can work out what to do." He shot Tyler a meaningful glance before motioning towards the door. "Look, let's get out and you can clear your head. I need to pop to the gym anyway."

Neither of the sisters raised an argument, so they headed out of the flat. As they were crossing the gardens Tyler stopped and turned to Jack, grabbing his arm roughly.

"So? What's your plan?"

"Look, Tyler, calm down, alright?" Jack ordered in a low voice. He glanced around before he continued. "Derek had a call yesterday. One of his informants thinks he knows where Katy is."

"Where is she?" The younger man demanded urgently.

"Flat in Balham."

"B-Balham?" Tyler repeated, furrowing his eyebrows. "Ain't that where…"

"Where she was attacked?" Jack finished the question. "Yeah, it is."

"So we gotta get her out."

Jack nodded, rubbing his jaw and looked around. "Yeah, we do."

"So…?"

"Listen, Derek and Max are gonna come with us, alright?"

He looked around again, before grabbing Tyler by the arm and pulling him over to the car lot. Jack opened the door of a silver Volvo, pushing the younger man in, before going round the other side and getting in beside him. In the driver's seat Max nodded, while Derek smirked at them from the passenger's side.

Tyler didn't speak on the drive to the Estate where Derek's informants said they'd seen Katy. The Branning brothers chatted, sometimes reminiscing about the past and other times planning what they were going to do when they reached their destination.

"Are you gonna ring Ronnie?" Max asked, taking a drag of his cigarette and making sure the doors of his car were locked. He glanced around at the high rise, concrete buildings that made up the Estate they had found themselves on.

Jack shook his head. "Nah, I ain't getting her hopes up until we've got Katy in that car and we're heading back to Albert Square."

"So you think something's gonna go wrong?" Tyler demanded jumpily.

"Jack's right." Derek nodded, taking a puff of his own cigarette before dropping it on the ground and stamping it out. "Don't count your chickens before they've hatched."

"What chickens?" Tyler asked, confused by his words.

"It's a saying." Derek sighed, shaking his head. "It means don't get ahead of yourself, boy. Honestly! What do they teach them these days?"

The youngest of the three brothers looked between Tyler and Derek. "Look. Let's just go and find Katy. It'll be a nice surprise for Ron and Roxy when we tell them we've got her, eh?"

Nodding their agreement, the four men headed through the Estate in the direction of the address that Derek's informant had given him. Hurriedly, they made their way up the staircase, avoiding the lifts, and strode along the landing, looking at the numbers on the flat doors as they passed.

"812, that's it." Derek muttered, nodding his head towards a blue door on their left.

They exchanged determined looks, before Jack hammered heavily on the door. "Oi! Open up!"

There was the sound of footsteps, the music that had been thumping through the walls stopped and the front door was thrown open. A man Tyler recognised lounged lazily against the doorframe, looking them up and down distastefully.

"Yeah?" He mumbled, chewing on gum. "What d'you want?"

"Nathan Parry?" Jack asked, glaring at him. The man nodded. "Where's Katy? Where's my sister-in-law?"

"Who?"

Tyler leapt forwards and jammed Nathan up against the wall of his flat, his arm pushing up underneath the man's chin. He struggled, but he was scrawny while Tyler had muscles. As the younger man held him still, Jack glared at Nathan, smacking him round the head as he pushed past into the flat. Derek and Max followed, opening doors and looking around for any sign of the teenager.

"Where is she?" Derek snapped as there was a loud crash from the room Jack and Max had just disappeared into.

"Oi!" Nathan choked at the sound, struggling against Tyler. "I dunno what you're on about!"

"Derek?" Max shouted from the other room. The older Branning turned and nodded his head to indicated that Tyler should bring Nathan with them.

"Yeah? Well my kid's missing her mum 'cos of you." Tyler hissed, turning his lip up in a snarl. He grabbed Nathan and pushed him through the doorway, taking deliberate care to bash him hard into the doorframe as they went.

Curled up in the corner of the room furthest away from the door was a dark haired figure. It was obviously a woman, but her face was hidden as she covered it with her hands and hair. Tyler leapt forwards, almost forgetting to keep a hold on Nathan in his eagerness to see whether it was Katy.

"Sweetheart?" Jack murmured gently, putting his hand on the girl's shoulder. She flinched away from his touch, burying herself deeper into the corner.

"Leave her, yeah." Nathan ordered, sounding more confident than he had any reason to. Tyler punched him hard in the stomach, making the other man cough and splutter, bending double. "It ain't Katy."

"Like we're supposed to believe you." Tyler hissed, punching him again.

Jack straightened up, shaking his head. "He's right, it ain't Katy."

"What?"

"She's pretty bashed up, though." Derek agreed, taking Jack's place and pulling the girl to her feet, ignoring her feeble protests. "She needs a hospital."

"You ain't taking her nowhere."

"Shut up." Tyler snapped. "What's 'er name."

"Like I'd tell you." Nathan laughed, earning himself a smack from Max this time. "Jesus! What's it to you, anyway?"

"Until we find Katy – until you tell us where she is – then everything you do is our business, right?" Derek told him, pointing a finger in his face. Despite his hard façade, Nathan flinched, making the older man smirk broadly. "Now, are you going to tell us what we need to know?"

"I don't know where she is, alright?" Nathan told him, almost pleading now. "Fine, her name's Daisy. Daisy Evans. She's my girlfriend."

Tyler recognised the name. Daisy had been one of Katy's friends back in Newport. She'd also been there when Nathan had raped her. Katy had told him that she had heard Nathan attacking Daisy regularly when she'd stayed with them. The thoughts made Tyler's blood boil and he couldn't help himself laying into the older man.

"Leave it out, Tyler!" Jack ordered, pulling him off and holding him back.

"We need to get her to a hospital." Max said seriously, looking up from the floor where he was trying to calm the girl down.

Derek advanced on Nathan, pinning him up against the wall and jabbing his finger into the younger man's face. "We're going to take Daisy here to the hospital and get her sorted out. And then I'll be popping back to see if you've miraculously remembered where Katy is. If not, you'll be seeing a lot more of us. Alright?"

* * *

_**A/N: I read VampireGleekxx's review on chapter 6 about whether Derek's contact had seen Katy or whether it was actually Daisy and seriously wondered whether she had somehow hacked into my laptop and read this chapter! Anyway, good suspicions there, doll! ;)**_

_**Thanks so much for carrying on reading and reviewing, etc. It means a ridiculous amount to me to know you're enjoying reading this!**_


	10. Chapter 10

Katy didn't know how many days had passed since she'd first woken up in that tiny, dingy room. She had no idea what day it was, let alone what time it was. Paul had come in and nailed blackout blinds over the windows so that she couldn't even tell whether it was day or night. It was like he was trying to torture her.

"Food up." Came the familiar voice outside the door.

As it opened, Katy didn't even bother to rise from the bed. She looked up and glared at the man who was entering with a tray as usual.

"What time is it?" She demanded.

Paul glanced at his watch, before smirking. "Quarter past one. Why? Got somewhere to be?"

"And it's… Monday?"

He laughed, turning to head back out into the hallway. "Wednesday, babe."

"Wednesday?!" She cried, her eyes widening. "That means… I've been here for… five days…"

"Yes you have." Paul agreed with a smirk. "And in a couple more days you can start paying off your debt."

"What do you mean?"

Pulling the door closed, his voice floated back to her. "Wait and see."

Katy took one look at the tray, before flinging it at the locked door. The teenager screamed in frustration, leaping towards the door and kicking it with all her might. She ignored the pain in her foot and continued hammering and hollering.

"Oi! Shut it, Mitchell!" Paul snapped, flinging open the door and grabbing hold of the teenager by the throat. He shoved her backwards onto the bed, leaning over her threateningly. "The neighbours will start complaining."

"That's nothing to what you'll get when I get out of here."

He laughed, briefly tightening his grip before letting go and shoving her roughly back against the covers. "If. If you get out of here."

"Oh, I will."

"We'll see." He laughed roughly. Realising that Katy was about to start screaming again, he grabbed her around the throat. "And less of the noise or you'll be sorry."

As he left, locking the door behind him, Katy buried her face in the duvet and started to sob.

Although she slept, Katy wasn't sure if another day had passed or not. There was nothing to do in the room, except sit and think or sleep. There was no measure of time and Katy was starting to go mad.

She had just woken up, when she heard the door opening. Not in the mood for a conversation, Katy clamped her eyes closed again, forcing her breathing into a steady rhythm. Apparently Paul decided that she was asleep, because he put the tray down beside the door and leant against the frame, watching her.

A loud ringing cut through the silence and Katy jumped. Hastily she sighed and snuggled back against the pillow, hugging it.

"Yeah?" Paul hissed into the mobile in a low voice. "What? When?" There was a pause. "Four of 'em? That one who gave you a kicking before?" Katy opened her eyes, glad she had her back to him. "I hope you showed him– you stupid little… fucking hell, Nath! They took Daisy to hospital? You better make sure she keeps her mouth shut then, ain't ya? If they work out where Mitchell is it'll be your nuts on the block. Understand?"

He left the room, slamming the door behind him. Katy sat up at the sound of the key in the lock, thinking hard. She chewed her lip, picking at her nail varnish as she considered the conversation she'd just overheard.

So Tyler and three others had gone after Nathan. Jack? Who else… Phil, maybe? Well whoever it was they'd definitely put the frighteners on Nathan. Apparently Paul wasn't too happy either.

Then what was that about Daisy being in hospital? Nathan must have given her a right battering this time. If Katy had had any sympathy left to give her heart would have gone out to her friend. But at the moment she couldn't even bring herself to care.


	11. Chapter 11 Jack

"Her name's Daisy Evans." Jack told the nurse on the reception. "That's all I could get out of her. We found her on the side of the road. Looks like she's taken a right beating."

The nurse led Daisy aware to a cubicle to check her over. Tyler paced backwards and forwards while Max lounged on one of the plastic waiting room chairs watching him in exasperation. Jack shook his head at the young man, before moving to sit beside his brother, putting his head in his hands.

"Stop that, Tyler, yeah?" Max snapped, looking at him from his seat. "Just sit down. Wearing a path in the floor ain't gonna help, is it?"

"My girlfriend is missing, Max, if you'd forgotten!" Tyler snapped.

"Nah, mate, I hadn't forgotten. But this really ain't helping no one. Now sit down and wait. Derek's gone back to speak to that creep and he'll let us know if he finds out anything."

Sighing loudly, Tyler dropped onto one of the plastic chairs to wait. Jack shook his head, folding his arms and leant back in the seat. He wondered whether he should phone Ronnie now, but decided against it. There was still no news and ringing her from hospital would hardly set her mind at rest, even if he managed to get her to listen to an explanation.

"You're still here, Mr Branning?" The nurse asked, sounding surprised.

Jack smiled and stood up as she approached them. "Yeah… that soppy git over there's taken a fancy to her." He chuckled, pointing at Tyler, who looked up in surprise. "Refused to let us leave until we'd made sure she was OK."

"Err… yeah." Tyler nodded, jumping to his feet and walking to stand beside Jack.

"Is it alright if we just pop in and say hello for a minute?"

"I'm not sure…"

"Go on, love." Max chipped in, smirking in amusement. "Give the kid a break."

The nurse sighed and nodded, returning behind the desk to riffle through the filing cabinet. Jack nudged his brother and Tyler towards the curtain before following them and closing it behind them, offering the tiniest amount of privacy.

Daisy looked nervously between them, pulling the covers right up under her chin. Jack glanced at Max who smiled and ducked back out of the cubicle, muttering about having a word with the nurse. It must have been too much for the young girl, in hospital after being beaten up with three men staring down at her.

Gently, Jack perched on the side of the bed and smiled at her. "Listen, Daisy. We need your help."

"What d'you mean?" She asked quietly, looking terrified.

"Nah… it's nothing bad." Tyler assured her. "We just want to know where Katy is."

"Katy?"

"Yeah, Katy Mitchell, your mate." Jack continued. "She's vanished and I reckon your little boyfriend has something to do with it."

The girl looked away. "Well… I don't know nothing about that."

"You tell us what we need to know and we'll make sure you get away from that scumbag for good."

"I said I don't know nothing!" Daisy repeated angrily.

"Look, I know a woman who runs a house for girls like you." Jack said softly. "You'll be safe there, I promise."

"I think you should get out." She snapped, glaring at him. "Get out!"

As she started shouting, Jack and Tyler both stood up, hastily retreating out of the cubicle as the nurse hurried towards them. With a brief smile, they met up with Max and the three of them headed quickly out of the hospital. Derek had taken the car, so they hailed a cab and headed back to Albert Square, thinking about what they could do next.

x-x

"Apparently the little shit doesn't know anything." Derek informed them with a sigh taking a gulp from his mug.

"Did you put pressure on him?" Roxy asked in disbelief.

Derek nodded. "Threatened to remove both his kneecaps but it had absolutely no effect. He's adamant that he doesn't know anything about Katy's whereabouts."

"Obviously he's lying." Ronnie pointed out seriously.

"Course he is." Derek agreed. "There ain't much we can do, though. Not unless he drops himself in it."

"You got people on him, right?" Jack asked, moving to stand behind his wife and putting his hands on her shoulders. He gave them a reassuring squeeze as one of Ronnie's hands moved up to hold his.

His brother nodded again, motioning towards his phone. "I've got Mike staking out the flat and Danny's at the hospital in case he goes to talk to his little girlfriend."

"Was she really bad?" Roxy asked compassionately.

"He'd done a number on her and no mistake." Derek told her meaningfully. "Black and blue she was."

"Like Katy the last time." Ronnie muttered. Jack squeezed her shoulders again, bending to press a kiss to the top of her head. "She can't go through that again."

"She won't, Ron." Roxy told her, looking more confident than she felt. "We'll find her soon. We know where to look this time, don't we?"


	12. Chapter 12

"Time to get up, Mitchell!" Paul called, unlocking the door and coming into the room.

Katy pulled herself up into a sitting position, leaning against the headboard, and glared at him suspiciously. He smirked and folded his arms. Neither of them spoke for a moment, regarding each other as though convinced the other were about to leap and attack.

"Why?"

"It's time for you to start paying back your debt, init?"

The teenager narrowed her eyes. "How?"

Paul chuckled. "Get these on and you'll find out."

He threw a bundle of clothes at her before leaving the room. Katy glanced down at them and curled her lip up in disgust. There was no way she was going to be wearing any of the stuff he'd given her. The clothes left her in no doubt about what he was expecting her to do to pay off her perceived debt. If he thought she was going to do as she was told he had another thing coming.

A short while later the door opened again and Paul came back into the room. He took one look at Katy before his face became a mask of anger and he crossed the room in a split-second. Before the teenager could move his hand was round her throat, choking her.

"Get them clothes on before I really lose my temper." He hissed, tightening his grip.

Katy struggled, shaking her head. "I ain't wearing them and I ain't letting you pimp me out." She spat, coughing as his hand around her throat restricted her ability to breathe.

"It's all you're capable of, Mitchell." Paul chuckled, leaning closer to her and looking into her eyes. "A cheap little slag like you? What else are you good for?"

"More than that, you scumbag." She spat back. "I'm a business woman."

"Business woman, eh? Well, this is a type of business, ain't it?" He pointed out. Katy glared at him, rubbing her neck where his hand had closed around it. "You'll be self-employed… sort of."

"Forget it."

There was a pause as Paul considered her, thinking about what she'd said. Katy could almost see the cogs turning in his mind. She didn't like the smirk that appeared on his face as he contemplated her. A chill ran down her spine as she realised where his mind was going and what his next words were going to be.

"Change of plan." He smiled, standing up and looking down at her. "You're gonna have a new business partner at that club of yours."

"In your dreams, mate. The second I get out of here, you're dead. Understand?" Katy threatened. "The Mitchells ain't exactly what you'd call forgiving."

"Yeah? We'll see."

Paul glared at her and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him and turning the key in the lock. Katy threw the clothes at the locked door, venting her frustration in the only way available. Then she curled up on the bed and buried her face in the pillow.

x-x

Katy jerked awake an indefinable amount of time later at the sound of running footsteps on the stairs. At first she thought that the door was going to be unlocked and she'd be in even deeper trouble than she already was. But the sound of footsteps stopped outside the door and the sound of muffled laughter came through to her.

"We're just off to the pub, Mitchell." Paul called through to her. "We'll have a drink for you, eh? Don't wait up."

"Although, we might pop in and say goodnight when we get back." Another voice added.

Ice seemed to slide down Katy's spine as she recognised Nathan's voice. All the colour drained from her face as she realised the meaning behind his words. Her hand moved to her throat, where a vivid bruise marked the area where Paul's hand had almost choked the life out of her earlier that day. If he and Nathan came to call on her later, pissed from the pub, then she would be in for far worse.

As the front door, or at least what she assumed to be the front door, slammed closed, Katy slid off the bed and moved to the bedroom door. With well-trained hands, the teenager skilfully examined the it, looking for any weak spots she could exploit.

One of the panels in the lower part of the door creaked a little as she pushed on it. Sitting back on her heels, the teenager smirked and glanced around. The tray Paul had brought her last meal on was still sitting on the floor beside the bed. Grabbing it, Katy tipped the contents onto the ground and set about bashing the corner into the weak section of wood.

"Fuck's sake!" She groaned as a particularly hard hit rebounded and the corner of the tray dug into her shoulder. After rubbing it quickly and wincing, she resumed her attack on the door.

Finally, with a splintering crack, the corner of the tray sank into the wood. Triumphantly, Katy wrenched it out and gazed at the small hole. She tried to pull the wood apart with her hands, but only succeeded in getting a long gash across her palm. With another wince, she shrugged off her cardigan and wrapped it around her hand, using the makeshift boxing-glove to punch at the door.

After a while, they whole bottom section of the door had been punched and kicked away and Katy was able to wriggle through the gap. Outside on the landing, the teenager got to her feet, dusting herself down and looking around. She unwound the cardigan from her hand to check the damage, before searching for the bathroom and rinsing it under the sink. Opening the cabinet on the wall, she found a bandage and wrapped it tightly around her hand.

Making sure all traces of her blood had been removed from the sink, Katy looked over her cardigan. She was pleased that it was black, so the bloodstains barely showed. Wrapping it round her waist, she went back out onto the landing and down the stairs.

Without a second thought she headed through the front door, looking around her for any clue as to where she was. Katy was surprised to find herself in what looked like a rather expensive looking residential area, a far cry from what she had been expecting. The houses were large and detached, expensive cars parked on almost all of the driveways.

Keeping her head down, Katy started off along the road hoping that she'd be able to find somewhere where she could find a phone to call her sisters. Hopefully she'd be able to tell them where she was as well, otherwise she didn't have a clue how to get home.

A wave of relief washed over her as she spotted a café at the end of the road and sped up, heading towards it and feeling happier than she had in days. Her hand was on the door, about to push it open when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Miss Mitchell?" A male voice asked. Katy spun around defensively, expecting to have a fight on her hands. "Katherine Mitchell?"

The teenager had never been so relieved to see a police badge pointed at her before. Her sisters must have reported her as missing or something.

"Yeah."

The two policemen glanced at each other. Then the one with his badge out put it away and his colleague pulled out a pair of handcuffs. "Katherine Mitchell, you are under arrest."

* * *

**_A/N: Bugger... Surprise number 1 :)_**

**_Also, I know I've been updating RIDICULOUSLY often lately but I've been trying (largely unsuccessfully) to disprove the idea that I'm mean and keep leaving you hanging ;) _**

**_I think the updates might calm down a bit from now on... maybe!_**


	13. Chapter 13 Ronnie

On Saturday night, Ronnie and Roxy were alone in the flat. Jack had gone to the pub to meet Derek, who thought he might have more information on Katy's whereabouts. Neither sister was in the mood for a conversation, so they simply stared blankly at the film on the television, clutching each other's hands tightly.

Both blondes jumped a mile when the phone started ringing. Glancing at her watch, Ronnie saw that it was almost half past eleven. The phone ringing so late at night couldn't be good news. Exchanging a look with her sister, who appeared to be having a heart attack, the older blonde moved to answer the phone.

"Hello, Ronnie Branning." She said, trying to stop her voice shaking.

"Ron? It's me." Katy's voice came through the receiver hurried.

"Katy?" Ronnie breathed. In a second Roxy was at her side, moving the phone so that they could both hear what she was saying. "Where are you? What's happened?"

"I ain't got long." The teenager told them in a rush. "I'm down the cop shop."

Both her sisters looked horrified. "What?"

"Yeah, I managed to escape and next thing I know two coppers turn up to arrest me. I swear I ain't done nothing."

"We believe you, babe." Roxy told her at once.

"Course we do." Ronnie added seriously. "Look, we'll get Ritchie on it as soon as possible, alright. You'll be out of there before you know it. Where's the scumbag… we'll send him a little warning."

"Nah, Ron, just get me out of here."

"What are they accusing you of?" Roxy asked.

"I dunno… I wasn't really listening." Katy admitted with a sigh. "I didn't even know it was Saturday. I've been locked in a room for a week."

"You'll be out as soon as possible, baby. Trust me." Ronnie promised. "We'll come and see you as soon as possible."

"Apparently you can't come 'til Monday at the earliest. Something about staff shortages or something… don't worry, I kicked up a right fuss."

Roxy looked outraged and tried to grab the phone off Ronnie, who lightly slapped her hand. "They can't do that!"

"Yeah, well, they have." Katy said, her voice cracking. Then she gave a small cough. "Listen… I've got to go. Love you both. And give the kids a kiss from me."

Before Ronnie could reply, the line went dead. Almost screaming in frustration she slammed the phone into its cradle before turning and leaning against the cabinet, folding her arms over her chest and looking at her sister.

"At least she's away from that bastard." Roxy muttered. "Now we've just got to get Ritchie on the case."

Ronnie nodded. "Get to the Vic and let Jack know."

x-x

"You will come and watch me carrying the torch later, won't you?" Billy asked on Monday morning. "It's really important to me, Ron."

Ronnie snorted. "Yeah? My sister's banged up in a cell, Billy. Slightly more important as far as I'm concerned."

"Well, obviously, yeah." Her cousin apologised, looking embarrassed. "Sorry, Ron."

The blonde sighed and shook her head. "Nah, I'm sorry. I'm just wound up. When we've got Katy out, we'll both come and watch, alright?"

He smiled and left the café, leaving Ronnie staring at the mug of coffee in her hands. She was waiting for Ritchie to arrive so that they could get down to the police station and demand they let Katy go. It wasn't long before the lawyer arrived and nodded at Ronnie. Wordlessly she stood up and followed the older woman from the café and out onto the street.

Neither spoke until they were seated in Ritchie's car. "Listen, Ronnie, are you absolutely sure that Katy hasn't done anything. I mean, she's got a record as long as my arm."

"Nothing that's dated since she got here." Ronnie reminded her. "She's got away from that life, Ritchie."

The lawyer nodded. "Good, then they won't have anything on her."

Ronnie smiled and looked out of the window, hoping against hope that there was nothing that would turn up and surprise her. She couldn't be sure that Katy had kept her head down; in fact she severely doubted it. The blonde just hoped that her sister wasn't stupid enough to have implicated herself in anything in any way.

Ritchie did the talking as they arrived in the police station and went straight to the reception desk. The pair of young officers on the desk didn't seem to know what had hit them as the legal talk spilled from her mouth and hit them like a tsunami. Ronnie smirked; there was no denying that Ritchie Scott was good at what she did.

"Look, you can go in and see your client, but I'm sorry I can't let Mrs Branning in." The taller of the two men told them.

"Why?" Ronnie demanded, stepping forward angrily. Ritchie laid a gentle hand on her forearm, stopping her saying anything else.

"Alright. Let's get all this rubbish done with."

Ronnie sighed and dropped into one of the hard plastic chairs along the wall and glared at the remaining policeman behind the desk. His colleague unlocked the metal gate which led to the holding cells and unlocked one.

"Katy!" Ronnie called, jumping to her feet as her sister was pulled out and led to a side room where her lawyer was waiting.

"Ron!"

"Sit down, Mrs Branning!" The policeman ordered, bundling Katy past her and into the open doorway.

Reluctantly Ronnie did as she was told, smiling weakly at her sister. "Just tell Ritchie what you know, alright baby. We'll soon have you home."

Then the door closed and Ronnie leant her head against the wall and waited. It seemed like an age before Ritchie emerged from the room. Her face was blank and expressionless as she went to the desk to sign out.

Katy's face was a similar mask of blankness as she was led out of the room and back towards the cells. Her eyes were empty and haunted as her gaze settled on her sister for a moment before she was hustled away.

"Ritchie?" Ronnie demanded grabbing the lawyers arm as she motioned for her to follow her out of the building. "What's going on?"

The older woman reached into her pocket and pulled out a packet of cigarettes. She offered one to Ronnie, who shook her head, before lighting up and taking a drag. "It's not good, Ronnie." She admitted finally. "They're going to charge her for burglary. Apparently they've got concrete evidence against her."

"What?!"

"I know. Undeniable evidence, apparently."

Ronnie was almost speechless with horror. "But this is her first offence, right? She'll get a warning?"

"I don't know, Ronnie. She's been questioned about burglary more times than I can say. This might mean a custodial sentence."

"How long are we talking?"

"Maximum sentence allowed is 10 years."

"What?" The blonde breathed.

"But this is the first time she's been charged, so I'd willingly put money on her sentence being months, rather than years." Ritchie said soothingly.

Ronnie glared at her. "Months is still too long. Katy didn't even know what she'd been accused of! I know my sister and she's innocent, Ritchie. You have to get her out."

The lawyer nodded and dropped her cigarette, stamping on the butt. "I'll do what I can."

* * *

_**A/N: Surprise number 2! ;)**_


	14. Chapter 14 Ronnie

_**A/N: OK lovelies. There's gonna be a slight cross-over with the ITV show Bad Girls. Mainly because I've been re-watching it lately and got a bit obsessed, but also because it just fits so, SO well with where this fic was always going to be heading! It's still definitely an Eastenders fic, though.**_

_**So, if you haven't watched Bad Girls, then all you need to know is that Linda Henry (Shirley Carter) played a prisoner called Yvonne Atkins in Bad Girls. The other characters aren't really AS important (except Karen), so even though there will be mentions of other characters from the show (the Julies, Tina, Pat, Bev and Phyl (the Costa Cons) and Hollamby/Bodybag), it doesn't matter if you don't know anything about them! Just pretend that they're generic characters, although I can't take any credit for inventing them!**_

_**If you have watched Bad Girls, then Yvonne DIDN'T die but was released and changed her identity to Shirley Carter. Also, Yvonne's daughter Lauren didn't exist. Fenner is still dead (thank goodness!) and Karen is Wing Governor again. :)**_

* * *

Roxy was burying her head in the sand, pretending that everything was normal, just like she always did when something bad happened. When she'd found out about her Dad raping Ronnie she'd tried to pretend it hadn't happened. When they found out that Katy was their sister, Roxy hadn't wanted to believe it. And now she was trying to pretend that Katy hadn't been arrested and was facing time in prison.

Ronnie was storming around like a bear with a sore head. Since Ritchie had revealed that Katy had been refused bail the world and his wife had annoyed her. She'd been all for storming down to the police station and demanding that they let her see her sister, but Shirley had calmed her down. The older woman was the only one who Ronnie would listen to at the moment.

Billy had been round to see if the sisters wanted to come and celebrate the birth of Lola's baby in the Vic and Shirley had almost had to hold Ronnie back as she laid into him. It had taken a long time for Ronnie to calm down, but finally she'd realised that having a go at her cousin wasn't going to help Katy. Instead she'd gone round to the pub with a present for baby Lexi and a card for Lola.

"Why wouldn't they let her come home?" Lola asked not understanding why Katy was being kept locked up.

"Apparently they think she'll try and do a runner." Ronnie told her with a sarcastic laugh. "Personally I think it's because she's a Mitchell and they're a load of scum. But keep your mouth shut, understand? No one other than family finds out about this."

Lola nodded, looking defensive. "I won't say nothing!"

"So what are we gonna do?" Tyler asked, sliding into the booth beside the woman and putting his pint on the table. "News spreads fast round here. Everyone already knows that Katy's been arrested. I've had the boys on the market trying to prise the gossip out of me!"

"I hope you kept your mouth shut." Ronnie warned him.

Tyler nodded. "Course I did. Told them not to be idiots. Everyone round here knows Katy."

"Right, well you just keep that up, Tyler."

"I will! You seem to think you're the only one round here that loved her!" He snapped. Then he sighed. "I'm sorry, yeah. I just… the thought of her in prison!"

"Shhhh…" Ronnie put her arm around him and leant her head against his. "I know."

"When's she in court?" Lola asked looking between them.

Ronnie shrugged. "I dunno. They won't tell us anything. All I know is that she's gonna be carted off on remand."

"When?"

"Today." The blonde informed her with a sigh.

"So… she's like actually in prison? In a cell and everything?" Lola asked, looking interested. "That's well cool."

"Lola!" Billy jumped in, noticing the expression on Ronnie's face. "We better get this little one home, eh?"

"Remember, keep your mouth shut or I'll shut it for you." The blonde snapped.

As Billy almost pulled his granddaughter out of the pub, Tyler took a long gulp from his pint glass. Ronnie sighed and rubbed her eyes with a hand, exhausted. Shirley picked up her drink from the bar and came to sit with them, taking Lola's recently departed seat and putting a hand on Ronnie's shoulder.

"Katy's a tough kid." She told the blonde gently. "She'll be alright. She'll keep her head down until we get her out."

"'Cos your such an expert, Shirl." Ronnie murmured.

"Yeah, well…"

Ronnie's head snapped up and she fixed the older woman with a serious look. The older woman shot her a small smile and motioned her head towards Tyler. Both of them looked at him and he blinked over the rim of his pint glass, looking confused.

"Buzz off, Tyler." Shirley ordered.

Looking for clarification from Ronnie, who nodded and shot him a small smile, Tyler stood up, taking his pint over to sit at the table with his brother and Fatboy. When the two women were left alone, Shirley took a sip of her vodka, before turning and looking seriously at Ronnie.

"Listen… before I came to the Square I was in the nick." Shirley said quietly. Ronnie looked surprised. "Yeah, I took the rap for my bloke's dodgy dealings and got four years for conspiracy to commit murder."

"Shirl!"

Shirley snorted and took another sip of her drink. "Like I said, Ronnie, I took the rap." She sighed and leant back in the booth. "But I know what it's like in a women's nick and I know Katy will be alright. Besides, she's only on remand, ain't she? With Ritchie on the case she'll be out of there in no time."

"I wish I was as confident as you, Shirl." The younger woman sighed.

"Where is she anyway? Holloway? Bronzefield? Downview?"

Ronnie shook her head. "No, Larkhill?"

"L-Larkhall?" Shirley corrected, her grip on her glass tightening.

"Yeah, that's it." Ronnie agreed. She furrowed her eyebrows slightly, noticing Shirley's reaction to the name of the prison Katy had been sent to. "Shirl?"

"That's where I was."

"What?"

"Yvonne Atkins, guest of HMP Larkhall, 2000 to 2004."

"Who's she?" Ronnie asked, totally confused by what Shirley was saying. The look the older woman gave her clarified everything in a moment. "You?"

"Me." She agreed with a nod. Darkly she laughed and took a long drink of her vodka, draining the glass. "And if Katy's in there she could be in trouble."

"T-Trouble?" Ronnie asked, going pale. "You said she'd be fine."

"Yeah… maybe she will, as long as she ain't on G-Wing with that bastard screw Fenner." Shirley said. "There ain't nothing that bastard wouldn't do to get his own way. He's got at least one death on his hands; poor kid was about the same age as Katy. That ain't even mentioning the other girls he screwed and screwed over."

"Shirl!" Roxy exclaimed coming over and putting her arms around her sister, hugging Ronnie tightly. "What the hell are you saying to her?"

Shirley glanced at Ronnie who was grey and shaking. Her mouth dropped open as she realised how much what she'd said affected the younger woman. She sighed. "I'm sorry, Ronnie. Katy's a good kid. She gave me a Mother's Day card and all."

Roxy raised an eyebrow. "She did what?"

"Yeah… she said she'd written it for her mum but I might as well have it because I was a better mum to her than hers ever was."

"She's sweet like that." Roxy agreed, sighing. "She ain't gonna last ten minutes, is she?"

"She'll be fine." Shirley tried to assure her. "But I'm gonna make sure."

"How are you gonna do that, eh?"

"I've got contacts." The older woman said, standing up and heading to the doors. "You two just concentrate on Ruby for now, eh? And keeping it all quiet from this lot."


	15. Chapter 15 Shirley

Shirley went straight back to the house from the pub. She called out as she closed the front door but there was no response so she smiled and headed upstairs to her bedroom. Riffling quickly through the bedside cabinet, she pulled out an address book. She pulled out her mobile and dialled a number, waiting as the phone rang.

"Karen Betts."

"Hello Miss." Shirley said with a smile.

The reply sounded slightly panicked. "Who is this?"

"Don't you remember me?" The blonde asked, pretending to be offended. "And after all we went through."

"Look, if you're not going to tell me who you are–"

"Alright, alright, keep your hair on. It's Yvonne Atkins."

"Yvonne?" The voice on the other end of the line sounded confused. "I didn't expect to hear from you."

Shirley chuckled. "No, I don't suppose you did, Karen. Listen, I need a favour."

"Why does that not surprise me?" Karen asked and Shirley was sure the former wing-governor was smiling. "What can I do for you, Yvonne?"

"Actually, it's Shirley these days; Shirley Carter."

"Why Shirley Carter?"

"It was after my grandmother; only decent woman in my entire family. I did consider Karen, but decided against it." The woman on the other end joined in with Shirley's chuckle of amusement. "Listen, this favour–"

"Much as I like you, Shirley," Karen put deliberate emphasis on her name, "I am not doing anything illegal."

"Nah, it's nothing like that." Shirley assured her dismissively. "I just need information. About that prize bastard, Fenner."

There was a sharp intake of breath from the other end of the line. "What d'you want information about him for?"

"My fella's step-sister's just been sent to Larkhall on remand. Poor kid's only nineteen and never been sent down before. There's been some kind of fit-up or something. She went missing a week before she got arrested; her sisters reported it to the pigs and everything."

"What's her name?"

"Katy Mitchell."

"I'll keep an eye out for her then. If she's on my wing she'll be alright. Although, if she's one of the Mitchells I'm thinking of she probably won't need any protection." Karen said and yet again Shirley could almost hear her smile in her tone.

"Your wing? Don't tell me your back in that place?" She smirked. "Good job they dropped the dangerous driving charges then! None of us believed for a minute that you actually did that. Most of us had good money on Fenner."

"Yeah, thank goodness. A new witness came forward at the last moment to testify that they saw a man getting out of my car by the canal."

Shirley chuckled. "I wonder how that happened."

"You?" Karen laughed. "I guess I owe you, then. Big time."

"I couldn't stand by and watch an innocent woman go to jail. But I really don't believe it. You in charge of Fenner and Bodybag and all that lot again. Haven't you had enough?"

"Glutton for punishment, it seems." Was the reply she received, accompanied by a low chuckle. "But Fenner is no more, Yv– Shirley. He finally got what was coming to him. Someone stabbed him in the neck."

Shirley smiled broadly. "I'm glad to hear that. Good riddance I say."

"Well, I really have to go now." Karen said. "It was good to speak to you. I hope you're keeping yourself out of trouble."

"Of course, Karen." Shirley assured her. "But if you could make sure Katy's taken care of I'd be incredibly grateful."

"Right. Well, if she is on G-Wing then I'm sure I'll be bumping into you soon."

Shirley agreed before hanging up. The news that Fenner was dead was a huge relief; there was absolutely no way she'd have wanted Katy anywhere near him. She was sure the teenager would be able to handle the rest of the screws, Bodybag included. And if Karen, the only decent screw Shirley had ever met, was looking out for Katy then they had nothing to worry about.

Pushing the address book back into the drawer, Shirley pocketed her mobile and headed down the stairs. As she crossed the Square, she spotted Roxy heading along Bridge Street in the direction of the bridge and jogged to catch up with her.

"Roxy? I've got information you might want to here." Shirley told her meaningfully.

"Yeah? About Katy?"

The older woman nodded. "Is Ronnie still in the Vic?"

Roxy nodded and turned to follow her towards the pub. Inside, they spotted Ronnie sitting alone in a booth, sipping on a large glass of white wine. Roxy and Shirley dropped onto the bench either side of her. Both sisters leant forwards, eager to hear what the older woman was about to tell them.

Glancing around, Shirley leant an elbow on the table. "I've just had a chat with a friend of mine from my jailbird days." She said, glancing between them. As she'd suspected Roxy barely raised an eyebrow, which proved that Ronnie had informed her of their little chat before. "She told me that Fenner's choked."

"That evil sod you were saying about?" Roxy asked, needing clarification.

Shirley nodded. "Someone finally finished him off. On top of that if she's on G-Wing, which after the conversation I've just had is highly likely, she's got the only decent wing governor I know. I've had personal assurances that she'll keep an eye on Katy."

"You're mates with a wing governor?" Roxy snorted with amusement. "You? Shirley Carter? Or should I say Yvonne Atkins?"

"Yeah, well, Karen Betts is a decent person." Shirley told her with a shrug. "She's alright. And so will Katy be."

Whether or not the sisters believed her, Shirley wasn't sure. Nevertheless she knew that they trusted her judgement and were well aware that she had more experience of prison life than both of them put together. Shirley herself was more worried about whether they'd be able to get Katy off the charge, than whether she'd be able to cope.


	16. Chapter 16

Katy barely knew what was happening as she was bundled into the back of a prison van and heard the door locked behind her. She sighed and bashed her head on the wall behind her. First of all she'd been locked up in that bedroom cell and then she'd been locked up in the police station cell. Now she was locked up in a mobile cell on the way to a prison cell. It seemed so far from fair that Katy could barely stand it.

She still hadn't managed to get her head around what was going on. At first she thought the police officers that had arrested her must have got it wrong; that her sisters had reported her missing and they'd just got it mixed up. But then they'd searched her and locked her up in a cell before pulling her into an interview room and questioning her about some burglaries over the last couple of days. Katy had been presented with numerous items that she'd never seen before in evidence bags and told they'd been found in her pockets. None of it made sense. Even trying to explain that she'd been locked up in a room all week hadn't made any difference; they simply didn't believe her.

On Monday Katy had been pulled from her cell for an interview with her lawyer and seen Ronnie sitting in the waiting room. The policeman behind the reception desk had ordered the older sister to sit down, which she had done, before trying to reassure her.

"Just tell Ritchie what you know, alright baby." Ronnie had urged as Katy had been taken to the interview room where the lawyer was waiting. "We'll soon have you home."

Katy had done as she was told, explaining as much as she could to Ritchie Scott. The lawyer listened carefully to what she had to say, making notes in her notebook, before asking the police inspector what they evidence against the teenager was. Katy tuned out, still in shock.

It had taken Ritchie a long time and a lot of effort to explain the severity of the situation to the teenager; she was going to be charged and faced going to prison. Ritchie had assured her that her sisters, or even Phil, would have absolutely no trouble posting bail so that she could come home before her trail.

The news that bail had been refused and she was being sent to prison on remand had come as a complete kick in the teeth. She had demanded to speak to her sisters, Ritchie, Phil, anyone who would listen. The policeman that escorted her to the van had assured her that as soon as she arrived at the prison and was processed she would be entitled to a free phone call and a visit.

As the van headed towards its destination, Katy listened to the sounds of the other prisoners shouting and banging on the walls in the other cells in the van. She closed her eyes and tried to ignore what was going on. If nothing else, she was a Mitchell. Phil had done time, more than once she suspected, and he had come out the other side. Hell, even Ben had done time and that little shit had survived it. She was ten times harder than him.

By the time they stopped moving and the door to her cell was unlocked, Katy had made up her mind that she was going to prove that she could handle prison. The other women were either snapping at the guards or staring around blankly. They were led across a yard, up a ramp and into a small room.

A short, plump woman with browny-blonde hair was standing behind a desk, looking at the files spread out on it. She glanced up as the guards ushered the women in and frowned disapprovingly, barking at them to take a seat and shut up. Katy clenched her jaw and said nothing, deciding to keep on the right side of this woman, for now at least.

"Katherine Mitchell?" She called, glancing down at her clipboard. "Come up here." Fixing a small smile on her face, Katy stood and walked towards the desk. The woman looked at her with distain. "Wipe that smirk off your face, young lady."

"Sorry…" Katy looked at the name tag pinned to the woman's uniform. "Mrs Hollamby."

The woman raised an eyebrow. "Name?"

"You just said my name." Katy pointed out, slightly confused.

"Don't get smart with me. What's your full name?"

Katy clenched her jaw, keeping her cool. "Katherine Margaret Mitchell."

"Date of birth?"

"December 6th 1992."

"Age?"

"Nineteen… can't you do maths as well as not being able to read?" The teenager asked with a smirk.

"Less of that, missy." Mrs Hollamby warned her, glancing up briefly. "Next of kin?"

"My sisters, Ronnie and Roxy." When the woman glared at her, Katy sighed and elaborated. "Veronica Branning and Roxanne Mitchell."

The woman looked interested. "No parents?"

"They're both dead, ain't they?" Katy snapped. "Not that it's any of your business."

"Right…" The woman ticked a box on her form and pointed to a doorway to her right. "Through there, strip search."

"What?" Katy demanded. "I'm not hiding anything! They searched me at the cop-shop!"

"Well you're going to be searched again, missy. Through there."

Glaring at the woman, Katy stamped through the door and moved behind the curtain. Angrily she started removing her clothes, throwing them over the top for the guards to be searched. When they were finished and she was dressed again and they'd carted her off to have her mug shots taken, she glared at the woman behind the desk.

"Satisfied now?"

"Right, wait over there for the others." Hollamby said, pointing to the row of plastic chairs. "You'll be taken to a dormitory for the night before being assigned to a wing in the morning."

"They said I was entitled to a phone call." Katy pressed, not moving. "I want to phone my sister."

"You'll have to wait. We're busy."

"That ain't fair!"

"Sit down, Mitchell!" The woman ordered.

"Not until I get my phone call! It's my right!"

The woman beside Hollamby at the desk put down her clipboard and moved around next to Katy. "I'll take her, come on."

With Hollamby muttering and glaring at her, Katy followed the woman to an office with a telephone in it. "You've got ten minutes."

Hurriedly Katy dialled her Ronnie's mobile number and waited for the call to connect. Within three rings her sister answered, sounding desperate. Katy sighed and smiled at the sound of her voice, reassured even though she was miles away and unable to do anything to help at the moment.

"Ron!"

"Katy?" Ronnie sounded as though she could hardly believe that she was talking to her younger sister. "Are you alright?"

"Fine. Been strip searched though, bloody liberty." The teenager said, trying to make it sound like a joke.

Ronnie sighed. "Oh, baby…"

"Don't worry about me, Ron. I'm tough as old boots me, ain't I? Besides, if Ben can deal with prison I definitely can!"

"Look, we're going to work on getting you out, sweetie." Ronnie assured her quickly. "Someone's trying to frame you for this and we're going to work out who it was."

"Good. I haven't done anything, Ronnie. Look… I don't even know where Paul was keeping me… it was quite posh and there was a café called Hannah's about ten minutes' walk from the house. It was number 19, I think." Katy sighed. "He's the only one who can give me an alibi… not that he'll be inclined to."

"We'll sort it." Her sister promised, softly. "You get a special visiting order, don't you?"

The teenager nodded, forgetting that no one could see her. "Yeah."

"Make it out to Shirl." Ronnie ordered.

"But… I wanted to see you and Rox. I was hoping you could bring Ruby in. I miss her so much it hurts."

"I know, baby, but it's important."

"Why?"

"Don't ask questions!" Ronnie laughed. "Shirl will be far more help to you, I promise. Besides, she might have a little surprise."

Katy narrowed her eyes. "Are you hiding something from me, Veronica?"

Ronnie laughed again. "You'll find out when you see Shirl, Katy, alright?"

"Mitchell?" The guard said, opening the door and signalling that her time was up.

Sighing, Katy nodded. "Alright, I'll send it to Shirl. Look, I've got to go. Tell Ruby I love her lots and I miss her. And Ty. And Roxy, James and Amy. And Shirl and Jack. And you, obviously."

Ronnie laughed. "Anyone else on that list?"

"Jay? Lola? Lauren and Whit?" Katy grinned. "Bye, Ron."

As the guard escorted her to the dormitory that housed her bed for the night, Katy wondered why Ronnie wanted her to send the visiting order to Shirley. She was slightly hurt that she hadn't demanded that she sent it to her and Roxy. It wasn't that she didn't want to see Shirley; Katy wouldn't have believed that she'd miss the hardened woman anywhere near as much as she had. But she really had missed her. No, Katy decided that she was very happy at the prospect of seeing Shirley. Anyway, she supposed that there must be a reason behind it and, when she was given the visiting order, she filled it in as she'd promised.


	17. Chapter 17

"… and Adams, Mitchell, Phillips you're for G-Wing." Hollamby said, glancing up from her clipboard and fixing Katy with a look of disgust. "Follow me."

Katy gathered up her bag and followed the guard out of the dormitory. They had to wait as Hollamby fiddled with her keys, unlocking the gate. She ushered them through, before locking it behind them and moving ahead to unlock another gate. The realisation of just how many locks and bolts made up this place hit Katy like a tonne of bricks and she had to work hard to keep her face impassive.

As Hollamby led them through a final door and into a larger area, Katy realised that they'd arrived at G-Wing. She took a deep breath, reminding herself that she was a Mitchell and needed to save face. Besides, she knew enough about prison to know that if the other prisoners thought she was an easy target she'd be in serious trouble.

Katy waited, trying to look bored, while the other women who'd come in with her were allocated their cells. When she was the only one left, Hollamby directed the teenager to a cell containing two sets of bunk beds. Two of them were already made up, but the other two on the opposite side were bare.

"Get your bed made up, Mitchell."

"Where are they?" Katy asked, pointing at the beds that were obviously taken.

Hollamby looked at her suspiciously before smirking. "At work. They'll be back to make your acquaintance soon enough."

She turned on her heels and headed out of the cell, leaving Katy alone. She sat on the free bottom bunk and looked around dejectedly. Countless people had told her that she'd end up here one day, but Katy had never seriously considered that it was a possibility. Now, though, it was reality and it didn't seem like there was anything she could do about it.

Sighing, Katy made up the bed with the sheets she'd been given, deciding to take the top bunk rather than the bottom one. Then she stuck up the photos that Ronnie had brought to the police station for her, smiling as she gently stroked the face of her daughter. Her sister had taken photos of Ruby, James and Amy specially, so that she had recent ones. A single tear ran down her cheek as she looked at their smiling faces and realised that they had no idea where she was.

At the sound of voices and the gate being unlocked, Katy scrubbed it away roughly and turned round so that she was sitting on the edge of the bunk, ready to meet her cell mates. Her heart was hammering in her chest at the prospect.

"Who are you?" A short, dark-haired woman demanded stopping in the cell as she spotted Katy on the bunk bed. She didn't look much older than the teenager, possibly in her early twenties.

"Katy Mitchell." The teenager said, jumping down and leaning against the frame of the bed instead. "You?"

"Beth Bayliss." The woman said. "What you in for?"

"On remand. You?"

"GBH." Beth shrugged. "Four years."

"Gutted." Katy muttered, shaking her head.

"Mitchell?" Hollamby's voice heralded her arrival in the cell and Beth rolled her eyes at the teenager, who grinned. "Your special visit's been granted. Come on, unless you want to forfeit it."

"Nah, I'm coming." Katy assured her with a grin. "In a bit Beth."

"Yeah…"

Katy followed the guard through numerous gates and doors until she was ushered into a small room with a table and two chairs. She was ordered to sit in the chair on the far side to wait for her visitor to arrive. It wasn't long before the door opened and Shirley was ushered inside.

"Shirl!" Katy jumped out of her seat and threw herself into the woman's arms.

Shirley returned the hug, planting a kiss on the side of the teenager's head before motioning for her to sit back down in her chair. Sitting opposite her, Shirley glanced over her shoulder to check the door was closed, before leaning forward and smiling at her.

"So? How are you?"

"I'm alright." The teenager shrugged. "Well, as alright as I can be in this shithole."

"This shithole was my home for four years, sweetheart, so don't you go dissing it."

Katy stared at her for a moment in disbelief, before hissing, "What?"

Shirley grinned. "You heard me. I was banged up here for four years for taking the rap for my bastard boyfriend. I ain't been here for seven years, but nothing's changed. Even Bodybag's still here."

"Bodybag?"

"Sylvia Hollamby. One of the stupidest screws in here, bloody cow."

"Ahh…" Katy grinned. "We've met."

"I was actually quite disappointed I didn't run into her on my way here. She'd probably have had a heart attack." Shirley chuckled.

There was a pause and Katy shook her head, unable to believe what she'd been told. "I can't believe you were in this place too."

"Yeah, well, you'd better believe it, doll." The blonde woman said with a small smile. "Now, I'm here to give you a few pointers." Shirley leant forward and her smile widened. "Number one, if the Julies are still here get in with them. And Tina O'Kane… I heard she's back in. She's as thick as shit, but she's sweet. Tell them you're Yvonne Atkins' sister-in-law and you'll be sure of a warm welcome."

"Who's Yvonne Atkins?" Katy asked, confused.

"Ta-dah!" Shirley raised her hands and chuckled. "I changed my name when I got out. I didn't want any connection to the gangster's moll who got done for conspiracy to murder."

"So? What do these Julies look like?"

"You'll work it out soon enough."

"Yeah," Katy grinned slyly, "but if I get in there first, element of surprise and all that, that'll make me look good, right?"

The blonde laughed and shook her head. "Proper Mitchell, ain't ya? Always looking for the upper hand. Right, Julie Johnston is tall and skinny and Julie Saunders is shorter. They're early forties, both blonde; as far as I know anyway. Julie S had breast cancer a while back… I'm guessing she's had the all clear; I haven't heard otherwise. Give them both a hug from me."

"Course, Shirl."

The woman nodded briskly, before continuing. "Ring me with any other names and I'll fill you in. Anyway, number two, keep your head down. Stay away from the junkies. They'll do everything they can to get you hooked. But I swear to god, Katy, if you get started on drugs I will kick the shit out of you myself."

"I have no intention of turning junkie, Shirl. I promise." Katy assured her seriously.

"Good. And number 3, give the screws hell and remember you're a Mitchell." Shirley said with a broad grin.

Katy laughed. "I'm sure I'll manage that one just fine."

"Except Karen Betts." The older woman said, suddenly turning serious. The smile vanished from her face and her eyes narrowed.

The teenager was confused. "Who?"

"Your wing governor. She's a mate, alright, so she tells you to jump and you ask how high. Got it?"

"Yeah, but… Shirl?"

"I mean it, Katy. You do what she says and you'll be alright in here."

Katy stared at her, wondering whether they'd given up on getting her out. "But… you're still gonna make sure I don't go down, ain't ya? I am innocent, Shirl, I swear."

"I know, darlin'." The blonde promised, reaching out and stroking Katy's cheek gently. As the teenager lowered her head, staring at her hands, Shirley moved around the table and crouched in front of her. She squeezed Katy's knee reassuringly. "We'll get them, I promise you. Just stay strong, alright?"

Katy nodded and they both stood. Shirley wrapped her arms tightly around the teenager, stroking her back. "You sure you'll be alright?"

"I'm a Mitchell, ain't I? Besides, I've been learning from the best for the last two years, haven't I, Yvonne?" She grinned as Shirley laughed and hugged her again.

"Right, time's up." A voice said as the door opened.

Shirley ignored the woman and squeezed the teenager tightly, before pulling away and cupping her face in her hands. "Give 'em hell, sweetheart."

"Don't worry about me." Katy replied with a grin. "You just make sure my Ruby's alright."

As Shirley turned to move towards the door she stopped and pushed her hands into the pockets of her jeans. "Well, well, well, Bodybag. I never thought I'd see your face again."

"Yvonne Atkins as I live and breathe." Hollamby looked so far from pleased Katy could barely conceal her grin. The guard looked between the two women in front of her and sighed. "Oh good, she's never yours, is she?"

"My sister-in-law," Shirley informed her with a grin, "so I'll expect you to take good care of her."

Hollamby rolled her eyes and ushered the teenager out of the room, while another guard escorted Shirley in the opposite direction. All the way back to the wing, Bodybag rambled on about the evils of Yvonne Atkins, wondering out loud whether the teenager would be just as much trouble. Katy, surprised at the knowledge that Shirley had been Top Dog at the prison in her time, just smirked to herself.


	18. Chapter 18 Ronnie

"Are you sure she was alright?" Ronnie demanded of Shirley for about the twentieth time since the older woman had come back from visiting Katy.

"Yes!" Was the immediate response as Shirley rolled her eyes and carried on flicking through the magazine in front of her. "That girl won't have any problems inside; probably giving the screws shit already. Anyway, I'll check in with Karen to make sure."

"What's the deal with you and her, anyway, Shirl?" Roxy asked curiously. "I'd have thought your guard would be the last person you'd call a mate."

"Karen and I shared a mutual hatred for one bastard screw in that place. That was enough for us to see past the screw and con divide. After that, we realised we had a lot in common." The older woman told her calmly.

"Right, well, our next mission is to track down those scumbags and force them to come clean about kidnapping her." Jack said seriously, changing the subject as he carried mugs of tea in from the kitchen and put them down on the coffee table.

"That's gonna be easier said than done." Roxy muttered, taking a sip from her mug. "They're not going to admit to that when there's nothing on them, are they?"

"True," her brother-in-law nodded, "so we need to find something concrete on them that they can't wriggle out of. Something worse than burglary."

Ronnie shook her head. "That shouldn't be too difficult, should it? I mean, I doubt they're particularly careful in their business dealings."

"They weren't exactly obvious about where Katy was, were they?" Roxy pointed out with a cynical snort.

"Yeah… well if we get Derek and his cronies on the case, tailing them and stuff, we'll soon find what we need to get Katy out." Shirley told her with a shrug.

The four of them sat in the living room of the flat, drinking their tea in contemplative silence. The only one who knew what Katy was going through at that moment in time was Shirley and she seemed confident that the teenager was perfectly capable of handling herself in prison. There was no point going over and over the point with the older woman, because she simply rolled her eyes and accused them of being soft.

Ronnie watched Shirley through her hair as she thoughtfully took a sip from her mug. Shirley was flipping through the magazine on her lap and looking as though she didn't have a care in the world. The younger blonde wondered whether she'd be quite so keen to help Katy out if she knew her part in Heather's death. Not that any of it was the teenager's fault, but she had still helped to cover up for Ben; whether she'd been given a choice about it or not.

Her heart sank as she realised the implications of Katy's current situation. If anyone worked out that the teenager had played any part in Heather's death, added to her current charges and less than squeaky-clean record, then Katy might not be seeing the outside of the prison again for a very long time. That thought absolutely terrified her older sister and she could barely bring herself to think about it. All Ronnie knew was that they had to find a way of clearing her name and keeping Shirley in the dark about what had really happened to her best friend, or at least that Katy had had anything to do with it.

The sound of a crying child broke the silence and Ronnie leapt to her feet at once, hurrying into her sisters' bedroom and scooping Ruby out of her cot. She shushed her gently, holding her close and stroking her head in an attempt to calm the toddler down. Ronnie knew that her niece missed Katy, but had absolutely no idea what was happening. Nathan and Paul might have been trying to get to Ruby through Katy, but they'd ended up potentially ruining her childhood in the process.

It took a while to calm Ruby down enough to put her back down to sleep. By then, Amy was awake and whimpering. No sooner had she settled down in the bed and fallen asleep than James was awake and crying. Ronnie was exhausted by the time he was sleeping as well. She just wanted to crawl into bed and forget about everything.

"Ronnie?" Shirley's voice came round the doorframe, causing the younger woman to jump and whirl around to face her. "Are you alright?"

She nodded, picking up a pile of washing on the bed and starting to fold up James' clothes instead of looking at Shirley. "Mmm… just a bit tired."

"And worried."

"Well, yeah, obviously." The blonde agreed, still not making eye contact. "But if you're sure that she'll be alright then I've just got to trust you, haven't I?"

Shirley nodded but didn't smile. Ronnie was too busy not looking at the older woman to notice, so when she turned around and saw Shirley smiling reassuringly at her, she simply returned the look and carried on with what she was doing.

"Look… I'm gonna phone Karen again tomorrow and see what I can do for Katy. If she has to be in there for now at least I'll try and make sure she has it easy. Well, easier than I did. Fenner's not there, at least." Shirley told her reassuringly. She decided to bend the truth a little for Ronnie's benefit. "Trust me, Katy will be alright. I've warned her to keep her head down and avoid getting into scrapes. She knows the score; don't make waves."

The younger woman turned and raised an eyebrow, snorting cynically. "Katherine Mitchell keeping herself out of trouble? You must be joking!"

Chuckling, Shirley nodded. "I know, but she's well aware what's at stake. Katy wants to get out, for Ruby's sake if nothing else. If the worst comes to the worst and she gets sent down for this, it'll be shit and a total miscarriage of justice, which is rare for a Mitchell, but she'll need to be on her best behaviour if she wants early release."

"D'you honestly think she'll be found guilty?" Ronnie asked, dropping the pile of James' clothes back onto the bed.

"I don't know, Ronnie." The woman said earnestly, grasping her forearms and looking seriously at her. "I honestly don't know. I'm praying to whatever or whoever's out there that we can find those slimy bastards and beat the truth out of them. But apparently they've got enough evidence to send her down."

"How can they? Katy wouldn't lie about this!"

"She's not lying. She's been fitted up." Shirley reminded her.

Ronnie shook her head. "So how is there enough evidence to send her down?"

"Obviously it was planted, weren't it?"

"How?"

Shirley moved away, pacing around the room. "What did Ritchie say Katy told her? She woke up and heard them shouting that they were going to the pub."

"Then she kicked the door apart and got out." The younger woman agreed, perching on the edge of the bed.

"So why would they advertise the fact that they were going out and leaving her on her own?" Shirley pondered, talking more to herself than Ronnie. "Unless… unless they wanted her to escape?"

"Why would they do that? It makes no sense."

"It would if they planted the evidence on her while she was asleep. Katy wouldn't have checked her pockets, would she? She didn't have anything in them. Or she thought she didn't." Shirley pointed out slowly. "And how else would the police have known to look for her?"

Ronnie looked at her with wide eyes. Shirley stared back, a smirk spreading slowly over her face. She gripped the younger woman's arms again, pulling her into a hug.

"Yeah, but now we have to prove it." Ronnie reminded her, causing the smile to falter slightly.


	19. Chapter 19

Katy hadn't even got back to her cell, accompanied by the delightful Mrs Hollamby, when another of the guards called out that the wing governor wanted to see her. Bodybag sighed and started grumbling afresh. She turned abruptly and led Katy away from the wing and towards the governor's office.

"Mitchell to see you, Ma'am." She simpered, after knocking on the office door and opening it. "You want to watch out, she's a trouble maker this one."

"I've only been here five minutes!" Katy complained, pulling a face at her. "I ain't even had the chance to do anything yet!"

"She's related to Yvonne Atkins, Ma'am." Sylvia continued, ignoring the interruption. "And we all know what she was like. If you ask me you should send her down the block as a precaution. She's a criminal through and through, this one."

"I'm on remand, remember. They ain't proved anything." The teenager pointed out with a glare. "Besides, I'm innocent."

"A likely story!"

"Thank you, Sylvia." Karen cut in, before Katy could open her mouth. "I'll bring Katy back down when we've finished. You can go."

"Cow." Katy muttered under her breath as the guard closed the door behind her.

Karen glared at her. "Enough!"

Chewing the inside of her lip, Katy looked at the governor for a moment before nodding and sitting in the chair on the opposite side of the desk. As she went through the induction booklet that Katy had been given, but not even opened, the teenager looked around the office. It wasn't too shabby, Katy decided.

"Are you listening to me?" Karen asked with a sigh.

"Course." She agreed, cockily.

"Good, because this is serious." The blonde woman continued, folding her arms and looking at Katy with a hardened expression. "You might be part of Yvonne Atkins' family, but you won't get any special treatment around here."

The teenager nodded, moulding her face into a look of contrition. "I know. Shirl… Yvonne… told me that you're a mate, so if you tell me to jump I ask how high. And when Shirl tells me to do something, I will without question."

"I'm glad to hear it."

"I really am innocent." Katy told her, her expression and tone totally genuine. A shadow crossed her face for a moment and she looked at her hands.

"What is it?"

"I… I need a favour."

The governor raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yeah it's… it's nothing big… I just…" She sighed. "Can you get me a pregnancy test?"

"You think you might be pregnant?"

"No, I just want a test." Katy said sarcastically. Then she closed her eyes. "Sorry, I didn't mean that. I'm just… I'm scared, miss."

"Of having a baby?"

The teenager laughed sarcastically. "Nah, I've already got one of those. My daughter, Ruby. She'll be one at the end of next month. I guess I'll miss her birthday, though. And I'd bet money that I've got her shit of a father to thank for that."

"Had a row, have you?" The governor said, looking as though she thought they'd had some silly tiff that would resolve itself in a few days.

"Not exactly." Katy replied snappily. "Kidnap, rape, GBH, blackmail, harassment… and whatever else you fancy laying at his door."

"What?"

Katy sighed and smiled. "So? That pregnancy test?"

The governor nodded and scribbled a note in her diary. "I'll see what I can do. I'll arrange a meeting tomorrow. I'm guessing you don't want this publicised just yet?"

"No." She agreed with a small laugh. "God knows what my boyfriend would say to that one. Me banged up for something I haven't done, up the duff and leaving him with Ruby. Not that he'd complain about that. He's the best dad she'll ever have."

"Anything else I can do for you, Miss Mitchell?" The governor asked, almost gently. "Within reason, of course."

"No trip to the cinema, then?" Katy joked weakly.

There was a low chuckle in response to this request. "I'm afraid not, Katy."

"Worth a try, I suppose." She grinned. "Thanks, Miss Betts, for... listening, I guess."

"Karen." The woman said with a sigh. "When no one's around."

"Thanks, Karen." There was a pause. "That was my mum's name."

"I know… I read about her in your file. I'm sorry. But Yv- Shirley's a mate." She flipped her diary shut and leant back in the chair, smiling. "And as long as you stick to what you promised her, you and me will get on just fine."

"Don't worry. Even if I didn't think you were alright, despite being a screw, I wouldn't go against Shirl's warning." Katy told her with a grin. "Besides, I reckon we can help each other out."

"In what way?" Karen asked, looking intrigued.

"If you turn a blind eye, occasionally, and make sure I don't get screwed over then I'll keep my eyes open for you on the wing."

"What? You mean you'll grass on the other cons?"

Katy snorted. "Don't be stupid." She took a breath and pulled an apologetic face. "Sorry, Karen. I just meant I'll tell you the big stuff, not stuff the screws have the brain capacity to work out on their own. Although I guess that means I'll be pretty busy."

The blonde woman smirked. She considered the teenager for a moment and then held out her hand for Katy to shake. "I think we have a deal, Miss Mitchell."

"A pleasure doing business with you, Miss Betts."

Karen smiled and stood up, opening the office door and ushering Katy out in front of her. They went through doors and gates and back onto the wing. Lots of other women were milling around by the time they arrived. Katy was taken aback by the sheer volume of prisoners, all looking at her as she was escorted onto the wing and back towards the dormitory.

"Get your stuff, Mitchell." Karen ordered gruffly. "You're moving onto the 2's."

"What?" Katy protested. "I ain't done nothing!"

Karen rolled her eyes and folded her arms. "I know that. You're on remand so you're entitled to a cell of your own. Come on or I'll assume you don't want to take me up on that offer."

"Nah, you're alright. I'll grab my things."

The teenager barely registered the smirk that flicked across the wing governors face as she darted into the cell and gathered up her things. Within moments she was back out and following Karen up the metal staircase to the corridor above. They made their way along the metal grating until the governor stopped and pointed towards an open door.

"In there. Dump your stuff and get down to lunch. You can sort yourself out at lock-up."

"Right, Miss." Katy nodded, looking around her cell, a lost look in her eyes.

Karen sighed and reached out, squeezing her arm. "You're not as tough as you make out, are you?"

"What you on about?" The teenager retorted, arching an eyebrow. Then she smiled and exhaled sharply. "I'll be fine. I guess it'll just take some getting used to."

"You'll be fine. The night calls might be annoying at first, but you'll learn to ignore them. They might even be comforting after a while."

"Night calls?"

"The cons shouting out to each other after lights out." Karen explained. "Just get in with the Ju–"

"The Julies?" Katy finished her sentence with a smile. "Shirl told me."

"Well, with her on your side I'm sure you'll do just fine here."

"Thanks, Miss."

The governor smiled and motioned her head towards the staircase. Katy nodded and picked up her plastic plates and mug and followed her down to the large area outside the gates. There were tables and several women still eating. Most of the prisoners seemed to have dispersed, however, which the teenager found far less daunting. Karen smiled and left her, heading through a gate at the other side of the room.

Giving herself a mental pep-talk, the girl walked confidently towards the serving hatch and picked up a tray, setting her crockery out on it. She smiled at the blonde women behind the counter, her mind checking off the criteria of the description Shirley had given her of the Julies. Beside them stood a short, plump young woman with dark hair; Tina O'Kane. Her smile widened.

"You new? First time?" The taller Julie asked. Katy recalled that this was Julie J.

She nodded. "Yeah, I've been sent here on remand."

"You're just a kid!" The shorter woman, Julie S, said, sounding outraged. "It's a bleeding outrage."

"Ahh… It's alright." The teenager shrugged. "I know I'm innocent and that's enough to keep me going."

"That's good." They chorused.

Taking her chance, Katy furrowed her eyebrows slightly, her eyes flicking between them. "Are you the Julies, by any chance? And Tina?"

"Eh?"

"Sorry, I should introduce myself. I'm Katy Mitchell. I think you know my sister-in-law? Yvonne Atkins?"

They stared at her open-mouthed for a moment. Then Julie S pointed at her. "You're Von's sister-in-law?"

"Sister-in-law?" Her friend repeated, looking gobsmacked.

"I am indeed. She told me to come and find you lot. And she sends her love."

Before Katy knew what was happening, the two women piled her plate with chips and appeared through the door at the side of the counter. Julie J carried the tray, while Julie S guided her to a free table and sat beside her. Tina appeared moments later with a mug of tea and sat next to Julie J. Before the teenager could even open her mouth they launched into an interested interrogation and she smirked, realising she'd been accepted already.


	20. Chapter 20 Roxy

"Rox?"

The middle Mitchell sister stirred, rolling over in the bed and yawning widely. She opened her eyes to see her older sister standing over her and jumped involuntarily. Rolling her eyes, she shuffled over so that Ronnie could sit beside her. For some reason the older woman's eyes were sparkling with excitement.

"What's made you so happy?" She almost snapped, wondering what could possibly have lifted Ronnie's terrible mood.

"Shirl pointed something out to me last night."

The younger woman didn't have a clue what she was talking about. "Eh?"

"Shirl pointed out something that was so obvious that I didn't realise before. Why would those scumbags advertise that they were going to the pub so loudly? They'd never said they were going out before. And, how did the police know exactly who they were looking for and where to find her?"

"So… we've got to get them to confess?"

Ronnie laughed cynically. "We need to find them first."

x-x

"Any luck so far?" Roxy muttered to Shirley that evening. She leant casually against the bar of the Vic, moving her glass backwards and forwards between her hands.

Shirley shook her head, turning to lean her back against the wood, staring around the pub. "Nothing. They're smart, Roxy."

"Could have fooled me."

They glanced at each other and smirked absent-mindedly. The older woman turned back to lean her elbows on the bar, downing her drink and sighing. The Mitchell stared at the liquid in the bottom of her glass anxiously. She wanted to get spectacularly drunk, to forget that her teenage sister had been set up and was locked away in prison, while her baby daughter was sleeping in her cot in the room they'd shared.

"Roxy?" A cheerful voice called along the bar.

Both woman leant forwards and saw Lauren and Whitney waving at them from a little way off. They glanced at each other as the girls picked up their glasses and headed in their direction. Shirley motioned for Tracy to refill her drink and Roxy drained her glass before doing the same.

"Where's Katy?" Lauren asked curiously, leaning against the bar next to her friend's sister. "We haven't seen her for ages."

"No… she's… she's…" Roxy started. She faltered, not knowing what excuse to make for her sister's absence.

"She's gone to stay with her Aunt Hazel for a bit." Shirley supplied, much to the younger woman's relief. "Family crisis or something."

"Yeah, that's right."

Lauren and Whitney exchanged a glance. The younger girl cleared her throat. "On the market… everyone's saying that K's been arrested. Is that true?"

"What?" Shirley glanced at Roxy before snorting with laughter. "Katy arrested? What for?"

"I… I dunno?" Lauren admitted.

"It's just what they're saying." Whitney chipped in.

Roxy glared at them. "Well you're supposed to be Katy's mates, ain't ya? You should be telling people not to be so stupid, rather than believing all their idiotic stories."

"Sorry…" Lauren murmured, looking thoroughly ashamed of herself.

"Yeah, just… when you speak to Katy tell her to give us a ring, yeah?" Whitney requested.

The younger blonde sighed. "We will."

As the teenagers moved away, both women let out a long sigh of relief, exchanging a look. Shirley downed the drink that Tracy had placed in front of them while they'd been talking and closed her eyes. She turned to face Roxy looking serious.

"Right, if we're actually going to manage to keep this quiet then Ruby's going to have to go and stay with Peggy." She said firmly.

Roxy looked horrified. "What? Why?"

"Think about it, Roxy." Shirley said with an exasperated sigh. "If Katy was going to stay with her Aunt for a considerable period of time, then she wouldn't leave Ruby here, would she? So Ruby has to go and stay with Peggy."

"I think that might kill Ronnie."

They both sighed, knowing that it was true. The older woman shrugged. "Maybe they need Ronnie as well?"

x-x

"I can't just leave!" Ronnie muttered, shaking her head and trying to ignore the presence of the two other women in the room. "Don't be stupid."

"Think about it, Veronica." Shirley almost spat at her. "Ruby can't hang around here. The story spreading round is that Katy has gone to stay with that new Aunt of hers because of some family emergency. She wouldn't leave Ruby behind, would she? Besides, we didn't think you'd want to just send the baby away."

"Why do you want me to go, Shirley, eh?" The blonde snapped, throwing the magazine in her hands onto the coffee table and rounding on the others angrily. "What are you hiding from me?"

Rolling her eyes, the older woman growled in exasperation. "You stupid–"

"We ain't keeping anything from you, babe." Roxy promised her, pleadingly. "But Shirl's right! Think about Ruby. She can't stay here, unless we tell the truth about where Katy is. And if we just leave her with Auntie Peg she's going to be terrified."

There was a long silence as Ronnie thought about what they'd proposed. "Fine." She agreed at last. "I'll go, on the condition that you'll keep me in the loop. I want to know the second you track down those losers."

Promising that they would make sure she knew the same as them at every turn, Roxy and Shirley watched as the older Mitchell sister retreated to her bedroom to start packing. That just left the remaining woman to think of where to go next.


	21. Chapter 21

Katy's first night in prison had been difficult. Karen had warned her about the night calls, but she hadn't really known what to expect. The reality was that almost all the prisoners called out to each other in the darkness; threats and jokes and demands, all intermingled. Even after the few hours she'd spent in Larkhall Katy was sure she recognised several of the voices already.

The next morning the door was unlocked at a ridiculously early hour and she was ordered out of bed. Remembering her promise to Shirley, she'd given the screws plenty of lip, but ultimately done what she was told. Sylvia Hollamby was swiftly becoming more and more annoyed by her mere presence on the wing.

"How was your first night, Katy, love?" Julie S asked smiling kindly and dishing bacon onto her plate as she stood in the queue by the serving hatch.

The teenager shrugged. "Alright, I suppose. The best part of my adventure so far was accidentally splashing Bodybag in the bathroom this morning… she's had to go and change her jumper, poor love. The wash bag just slipped out of my hand into the full sink. It's a shame I was holding it above my head at the time."

The Julies and Tina laughed as Katy winked and carried her tray over to an empty table. She sat down and glanced around at the people milling around, screws and cons alike. Then she got started on her breakfast, keeping herself to herself.

"Mitchell, ain't it?" A young woman said, putting her tray on the table and sitting opposite Katy.

"S'right." The teenager agreed, looking the other woman up and down. "Bayliss? Beth, right?"

"So, I hear from the Julies that your part of some kind of celebrity family." The woman continued, causing Katy to arch an eyebrow in amusement. When the teenager failed to comment, Beth continued. "Aren't you related to Yvonne Atkins?"

"Might be." She shrugged. "What's it to you?"

"Just wondering."

There was a long pause as Katy glanced around the room. She was well aware that the other woman was watching her, but she refused to acknowledge the fact. Instead she grinned at Tina who gave her a little wave before returning to her duties.

"So, you got any gear on you?" Beth asked in a low voice, leaning forwards slightly.

Katy snorted and looked disgustedly at the young woman, not much older than her, sitting opposite. "You are kidding me? I ain't no junkie, mate. The famous Yvonne Atkins would break both my legs for me."

"You'll find that around here it's the easiest way to get along."

"I never was one for taking the easy route." Katy snapped, glaring at her. She didn't like the threatening tone in the woman's voice. "See you later."

Taking her tray, she cleared away the leftovers and piled up her plates ready to wash them up in the sink in her cell. As Beth passed on the way to her own cell, she banged her shoulder into Katy and sending her jolting forward into the table. The teenager's natural reaction was to whirl around and shove her right back. Split-seconds before she acted on the impulse, Katy spotted Karen Betts heading through the gate.

"We'll finish this later, bitch." Beth hissed.

Katy snorted and looked her up and down in distain. "Yeah, maybe."

"I need a word. In my office?" The governor requested, looking sharply at the teenager. Her gaze flicked towards Beth, who was stalking away. When she looked back at Katy, her eyebrow rose. "Perhaps someone can take these things up to your cell?"

"I'll do it!" Tina offered instantly, beaming at the Mitchell.

Katy grinned and handed them over. "Thanks, T."

"Come on, then."

"Can I just ask what I'm supposed to have done?" Katy demanded as Karen started heading towards the gate.

"Yeah? She ain't done anything, Miss." Julie S shouted from behind the counter.

Julie J nodded. "She's only a kid, Miss."

"I am well aware of how old she is thank you, Julie. I have read her file." Karen informed her impatiently, locking the gate behind them.

The governor took hold of Katy's upper arm as they walked along, guiding her through the corridors until they reached her office. She smiled at her secretary before opening the door and almost shoving the teenager inside. Katy pulled a face as the office door clicked shut and Karen walked round her desk and pulled out a plastic bag.

Holding the bag tightly, she moved back round to the front of the desk and perched on it looking at Katy. "You do realise I've taken a risk doing this. You're lucky I really owe Shirley. You should be going through the M.O.–" She noticed the confusion on Katy's face and sighed. "The Medical Officer."

"I'm grateful, honestly."

"Good. Well, we're going to do this my way. In a couple of minutes I'll escort you to the bathroom, you can do the necessary and then we'll come back and check it. Right?"

Katy nodded. "I really do appreciate this, Miss, I'm not just saying that. Getting through this will be so much simpler if I'm not pregnant."

"And what if you are?"

"Well… then I'm having a baby, ain't I? I'll just have to keep my fingers crossed justice is served and I get out of here before it's born."

"Ready then?" Karen asked a couple of minutes later.

When the teenager nodded, taking a deep breath, the governor pulled the pregnancy test out of the bag and opened the box. She pushed the stick into her pocket and raised an eyebrow.

Opening the door, she pulled Katy out, smiling at her secretary and rolling her eyes. "Perfect timing for a toilet break!"

The middle-aged woman behind the desk laughed and returned her attention to the papers on her desk. Katy glanced at Karen, allowing her to guide her to the toilets. The governor handed over the pregnancy test and the teenager went into a cubical.

Moments later she came out and went to the sinks. As she stared into the mirror, she went pale, thinking about what was resting on the results of the test. "What the hell am I going to do?"

"Wait 'til we get back to the office and we'll talk about this properly." Karen muttered, nodding seriously.

Katy took a deep breath and nodded, shoving the test into her pocket and following the blonde woman back to her office. She set the pregnancy test on the desk and sat heavily in the chair in front of the desk, pulling her legs up and hugging them as she stared at the blue and white stick in front of her.

Sighing, the governor stood behind her and placed her hands on the teenager's shoulders, giving them a reassuring squeeze. "Well?"

"Negative." She choked out, reading the results of the test. Then she burst into tears.

"Hey, hey!" Karen said gently, moving round and crouching in front of the teenager. "What's the matter? I thought you said not being pregnant would be easier?"

"It is!" Katy agreed.

"So why are you so upset?"

The teenager scrubbed at her eyes. "I'm fine."

Karen scoffed, shaking her head. "Spare me." She straightened up and moved so that she could reach the phone. "Or do you want me to phone Shirley? Or your sisters?"

"No, please don't." She begged, grabbing at the woman's arm and shaking her head vigorously. "Please don't!"

"Then tell me what's wrong or I can't help you!"

"If I wasn't related to Shirl you wouldn't give a damn about me, would you?" Katy asked, looking up with tear-filled eyes. "You're only being so nice because you owe her. You're probably scared she'll break your face if you don't watch out for me 'cos she's an ex-con, ain't she? No one cares that I didn't do anything! I was kidnapped but the bloody pigs wouldn't believe me!"

"I assure you that–"

Katy didn't seem to have heard the interruption. "I have no way of proving that I'm innocent, even though I am. It's shit! If I hadn't escaped then they were gonna beat me up and probably rape me. Again! But I'm a Mitchell and I've got a record, so I must be a liar. It doesn't matter that I ain't been in serious trouble since I was eleven. I've never been charged for anything! I was cautioned for anti-social behaviour and shoplifting and vandalism when I was a kid!"

"I have seen your file, Katy, I know all this!" Karen told her firmly, grabbing her hands to stop her pacing around the office. "For what it's worth, I believe you." The teenager's head snapped up at her words, disbelief in her eyes. "Katy, I believe you. But I have no power to influence the courts."

"I'm guessing you know about my case?" Katy asked. The look on the governor's face told her she was correct. "I'm screwed, ain't I?"

Pursing her lips, Karen sighed. "It's not looking good. There's too much evidence to say you're guilty. Items stolen from the house were found in your pockets when you were arrested."

"Planted on me!"

"Alright!" The woman nodded. "But you can't prove it!"

"So I really am screwed then." She said with a sigh. "I feel sorry for you; I'll be around here for a while, won't I? And you'll have to keep looking out for me for Shirl's sake."

Karen smiled. "It's my job." She swept the pregnancy test and it's packaging into the plastic bag and put it in the bin. "But I have a feeling it could be quite interesting."

Laughing softly, despite the despair that had settled over her at the realisation that she didn't have much hope of being found innocent, Katy wandered towards the door. "Please don't tell my sisters or Shirl about any of this."

"The pregnancy scare or the mini-breakdown?" The older woman asked, smiling.

"Both." Katy said with another weak smile. "But don't let them know I know I've got no hope of getting out. They'll be gutted if they know I know."

The governor nodded and squeezed her arm as she passed, leading her back through the corridors to the wing. Katy took a deep breath, resolving herself to the fact that this was going to be her home for a while.


	22. Chapter 22 Shirley

Shirley and Roxy waved Ronnie, James and Ruby off on Friday afternoon, before heading straight to the Vic. Derek claimed that he had found some information that might help them track down Paul and Nathan.

The two women bought drinks and settled themselves at a table to wait for the man who might hold some answers. A visiting order had arrived from Katy that morning for her sisters and Ruby to see her on Tuesday and the women wanted to be able to give her some positive news. When the teenager had phoned them the night before, Roxy was sure they were struggling to stay cheerful more than she was. The blonde thought that maybe she was still hanging onto the impression that she was going to get off.

"Afternoon, ladies." Derek said smoothly, dropping onto the stool at their table and smiling around.

Roxy rolled her eyes, not trusting the man as far as she could throw him. She didn't understand the sudden friendship that had jumped up between Derek and her sister, nor did she like it, but Roxy couldn't deny that it might help find something to ensure that justice was served and Katy was proved innocent at her trial. They still hadn't fixed a date, so they needed to move fast if they were going to secure evidence in the teenager's favour.

"Well? What have you found?"

"My boys have tracked down the café that Katy was heading to when she was arrested." He informed them lazily, taking a sip of his drink. "On the outskirts of Kensington."

"Kensington?" The women chorused in astonishment.

"It would appear so." He shrugged. "We took a look in number 19, like you said. Completely empty, but the small bedroom on the top floor–"

"Had a hole in the door?" Shirley suggested. Derek just raised his eyebrows. "Right, any sign of them?"

"Nothing."

"Any leads?"

"I'm working on it." Derek said, draining his glass and winking at them.

The women watched as he headed through the pub doors and out onto the Square. Shirley went to get them a refill and returned, placing a large vodka and tonic in front of the younger woman. They sat in silence for a while, contemplating the situation.

After a while Roxy sighed and stood up. "I need to go and collect Amy from nursery."

She headed towards the community centre, deep in thought. Roxy was under no illusions that she was as clever as Shirley or Ronnie, but she didn't understand how they were going to be able to prove that Katy wasn't physically able to have carried out that burglary. The only chance she stood was for Paul and Nathan to admit to kidnap and imprisonment and, from what she knew about them, Roxy was positive that that was incredibly unlikely, unless Shirley had something up her sleeve.

x-x

"We've found them." Shirley informed Roxy in a low voice, leaning against the front door frame of the flat where the younger woman lived. "Phil got a call from Rick to say he'd heard a guy in a pub in Brixton talking about bringing down a Mitchell. At first Rick thought he meant Phil, but the guy didn't even recognise the name."

"Brixton? What was Rick doing over there?"

"Got a tip off from Red Ollie about a bloke mouthing off. Ollie works in the Greyhound now; got a side-line in dodgy watches."

"So the guy definitely meant Katy?"

Shirley nodded. "He mentioned her name. Apparently she owed the guy a heap of money, so he was gonna make her work for him to pay it back. You can imagine what sort of jobs he had lined up for her. Anyway, that was his plan until she got too gobby and he decided to get her banged up instead. I'm surprised he had the brains to come up with that one."

Roxy furrowed her eyebrows. "And he just admitted all of that to Rick?"

"Idiot was boasting, weren't he?" The older woman told her, as though it was obvious. "He was trying to look like a big man, taking on the Mitchells. Around here that gets you respect, Roxy."

"So Katy's looking at prison because some dickhead wants to make a name for himself?" She almost shouted.

"And get revenge on her."

"For what?" Roxy demanded, her eyes flashing. "Why would she owe him money?"

The older woman shrugged. "I dunno… I reckon you'll have to have a little chat with that sister of yours. There's obviously something she's not telling us. He might be a small-time lowlife, but he's managed this good and proper. And if she's hiding something big then we need to know about it before it comes back and messes up all her chances of getting out."

"Well can't you get Phil to beat a confession out of him?"

"A confession ain't no good if it's under duress, is it? They'll say he only said it because he was forced to. It's gotta be completely legit." Shirley reminded her. "And Phil can't afford to get his hands dirty at the moment. The old bill will jump at the chance to pin anything like that on him and Phil will go down for a long time if they do."

"So, what are you suggesting?"

Shirley smirked. "I think it's time Derek Branning got his hands dirty, don't you?"

"Why would Derek get involved any more than he already is?" Roxy asked her, totally confused by the suggestion.

"I dunno… but why do you think he's taken such an interest in her vanishing? Bit odd, ain't it?" The blonde pointed out with a cynical smirk.

"That's disgusting!" Roxy exclaimed, realising what the older woman was implying and pulling a face.

"She is a pretty girl, Rox."

"But Katy would never–"

Shirley chuckled. "I never said she would. But you know how men's minds work. And if it means he'll put the frighteners on that pair of clowns then I'm all for it."

For a moment, Roxy continued to look worried. Then she smiled and started to laugh, shaking her head. "I'm guessing you've already suggested it?"

"Too right I have! He played the 'she's Jack's family so it's personal' card and said he'd sort it pronto."

"Good."

"Yeah, good." Shirley agreed, nodding. "Listen, I'm meeting an old friend tonight for a catch-up. Fancy tagging along? You might find it interesting."

"Who is this old friend?" The younger woman looked at her suspiciously, her eyes raking across Shirley's face.

She just smiled. "Come to the Vic at seven and you'll find out."


	23. Chapter 23

"We saw her on the news, you know." Julie S said, glancing at Katy. The teenager tilted her head questioningly at her, waiting for her to elaborate. "Yvonne. Or Shirley, what she is now. Her mate got killed, didn't she?"

"Oh… Heather." Katy's heart sank slightly as she remembered about the murder for the first time since she'd been locked up. "Yeah… it was horrible. Hev was lovely. Shirl's still devastated."

"So you never knew she used to be in here?" Julie J asked, leaning against the doorframe.

Katy shook her head, curling her legs underneath her on her bed and leaning back against the wall. "Not 'til the day I arrived in here. I used my phone call to ring my sister and she told me to get Shirl to come in and see me. Then she dropped that bombshell. I've got to admit it was a shock. It's made my life easier, though, ain't it?"

"How d'you mean?"

"Well, you lot being so nice to me and that." She explained with a shrug. "Easier than starting from scratch, ain't it?"

"Fair point." The Julies said together, shrugging.

Julie J moved to sit beside her, pointing at one of the photos on her notice board. "That your little girl, is it?"

"Yep." Katy pulled the photo down and handed it to her. "That's Ruby." She pointed out, before moving her finger across the picture. "That's Ronnie my older sister and her husband, Jack, and her son, James and that's my other sister, Roxy, and her daughter, Amy."

"Who's he?" Julie asked, pointing at the young man standing beside Katy in the photo.

She smiled. "That's my boyfriend, Tyler."

"He's gorgeous!"

"You don't need to tell me that." Katy grinned, then her face fell and she looked sadly at the picture. She turned to stick it back on the notice board with her other photos. "I ain't gonna win the trial. There ain't no chance. I can't prove I'm innocent and they've got evidence to say I ain't."

"Don't think like that, love." Julie S said, sitting on her other side and putting an arm around her shoulder.

"Nah, it'll be alright."

"It won't." Katy told them seriously. She set her face in a look of determination. "But I'll be alright. The only thing I'm sad about is that I'm gonna miss Ruby. It's her birthday next month." She took a deep breath. "I'll be fine, though. I am a Mitchell, after all."

The two older women gave her a squeeze before shuffling off the bed. "We'd better get back to work, love. Can't leave Tina on her own for long, it ain't fair."

"Course not!" The teenager agreed with a nod. "Catch you later."

As Katy followed them to the door of her cell, leaning against the doorframe, she watched as the Julies passed a dark-haired woman who was obviously making her way to visit the Mitchell.

"We've got unfinished business, Mitchell." She snapped, blocking Katy's way out of the cell with her arm.

The Mitchell looked her up and down slowly, the corner of her mouth twitching up into a smirk. "Really?"

"Yeah… we do." Beth hissed. "I don't believe for a second you ain't got any gear."

"Well you better believe it."

"You are going to tell me where you've got it stashed, or I'll beat it out of you." The woman threatened, shoving Katy backwards. "Even if you ain't a junkie you've got some to sell. You muscle in on my business and I'll make you sorry."

The teenager stumbled, taken by surprise. She only just managed to keep her balance as Beth leapt at her, lashing out. Her fist came up and caught Katy on the side of her head, knocking her sideways into the bed. She raised a hand and felt a bruise already forming on her cheek.

Out of the corner of her eye, Katy spotted Beth moving towards her and, at the last minute, she rolled out of her way, jumping on the other woman as she fell onto the bed. Twisting Beth's arm up behind her back, Katy leant over her so that she could hiss in her ear. Beth winced, her breath catching in her throat as the Mitchell pushed her arm further up her back.

"As I told you before, I ain't got no drugs. As for selling them on? I'd rather stay in here for twenty years. Get me?"

"What's going on?" A voice asked from the doorway.

Katy glanced up and saw a dark-haired woman in her thirties, dressed all in dark colours, glaring at her with her arms folded. The teenager looked her up and down for a moment before relaxing her grip on Beth's arm and letting her stand upright.

"Just having a little chat about my viewpoint on drugs." Katy explained with a smile, glancing sideways sharply at the breathless woman who was rubbing her arm. "I think Beth and I understand each other perfectly now."

After considering the teenager for a moment, the woman flicked her head towards the stairs. "Push off, Bayliss."

Clenching her jaw and looking at the woman in annoyance, Beth exhaled sharply and headed out of the cell, leaving Katy and the newcomer alone. Bracing herself for another attack, the Mitchell stood her ground, waiting expectantly for whatever was coming.

To her immense surprise, the woman wandered into the cell and looked around. "You're Katy Mitchell, right? You're in here on remand?"

"How did you–?" Katy asked, frowning. Then she smiled grimly. "The Julies?"

"In one." The woman agreed, a small smile flickering over her face. "I'm Pat Kerrigan."

"Nice to meet you."

"So… not a fan of drugs, then?"

Katy looked away for a moment, wondering whether she was about to get another beating. "They ruin lives, don't they? Besides, I can't afford to get involved in anything like that. I don't want to be away from my kid for longer than I have to be."

"Glad to hear it." Pat nodded. "I think you and me will get on fine."

Without saying anything else, she turned on her heels and marched out of the cell, leaving Katy to examine the damage Beth's punch had caused to her face.


	24. Chapter 24 Roxy

By quarter to seven on Friday night, Roxy was sitting at a booth in the Vic waiting for Shirley and her old friend to arrive. She took a sip of her vodka and tonic, glancing around. The older woman had refused to tell her who she was meeting and Roxy was getting impatient to know.

When Shirley arrived at the pub, Roxy tried to drag the truth out of her, but to no avail. Shirley just shook her head and chuckled, telling her she'd find out soon enough and if the blonde didn't stop nagging her she'd call her friend and change their plans. Roxy folded her arms and leant back in the seat, sulking.

Finally the Vic doors opened and a well-dressed blonde woman walked in, looking around at the punters. Shirley stood up and joined her at the bar, catching Tracy's attention, before returning with a fresh drink for herself and Roxy and the blonde woman in tow.

"Rox, this is Karen Betts. Karen, this is Katy's sister, Roxy Mitchell." Shirley introduced them, sitting down and motioning for her friend to join them.

"Pleased to meet you, Roxy." Karen said, holding out her hand.

Roxy shook it eagerly. "You're Karen Betts?"

The woman chuckled. "For my sins."

"So you're in charge of the prison?"

"She's in charge of the prison wing that Katy's on, Rox." Shirley explained quickly, keeping her voice low.

"How is she?" The younger woman demanded eagerly.

Karen nodded, hastily swallowing the mouthful of scotch she'd just taken from her glass so that she could answer. "She's fine. I'm actually surprised how well she's settled in."

"She's in with the Julies, then?" Shirley asked, smirking.

"Your name's doing her a favour in there. Yvonne Atkins; G-Wing's favourite Top Dog."

The woman smiled smugly and shrugged. "What can I say?"

"What?" Roxy asked, looking between them in complete confusion. "What's a Top Dog?"

"It's the con who's in charge of the wing." Shirley explained, glancing towards Karen. "Unofficially, of course."

Roxy looked at her in surprise. "Wait? You were Top Dog, Shirl? I mean… really?"

"Don't be surprised, even most of the screws were terrified of her."

"Were you?"

Karen chuckled. "Me? Nah, I knew she was decent deep down. We got on just fine… most of the time."

"So? Who's the Top Dog these days? Tina O'Kane?" Shirley asked. Both women laughed, leaving Roxy staring between them not understanding the joke.

"No, she's a lifer… Pat Kerrigan? You've probably heard of her."

"Isn't she the one who killed her boyfriend?" Roxy asked, horrified. "Stabbed him, didn't she? I'm sure I saw it on the news a while back."

"That's right."

"Oh my god… And Katy's in with her?"

Shirley shook her head. "It's prison, you daft cow, not Butlins!"

"Yeah, but Katy's just a kid." The younger woman pointed out. "She won't be able to cope with hardened criminals. She'll probably get beaten up and stolen from. We'll be lucky if she makes it out in one piece!"

"Somehow I don't think so." Karen said firmly, arching an eyebrow. "If I had to put money on it, I'd say that Katy is the Top Dog's new favourite."

"What?"

"Oh yeah, they're definitely friends, anyway. Well, as close to being friends as Kerrigan is with anyone. She's definitely got your sister's back. Katy's settled in well; even the Costas like her."

"Them two old girls?" Shirley asked, snorting with laughter. "Bev and Phyl are still in there?"

"After an escape attempt and arrest in Spain."

"But she's alright?" Roxy demanded, needing clarification. "She ain't been in any trouble?"

"No. Well, she's had a couple of run-ins with Sylvia Hollamby. On her first morning she soaked her in the bathrooms with the aid of a full sink and a wash bag."

"Good for her!" Shirley laughed, raising her glass in a toast. "Old Bodybag won't know what's hit her."

"Sylvia isn't impressed. She keeps referring to her as 'that Mitchell hooligan' and threatening to send her to the block."

"The block?" Roxy asked, looking as though she thought it was code for 'electric chair'.

"The segregation unit." Karen explained. "I'll get us more drinks, shall I?"

As she rose and moved to the bar, Roxy grabbed Shirley's arm. "What'll happen if she gets sent there? Will it affect her trial?"

"Nah, it's got nothing to do with her charge. If she gets sent down it might affect her release date a bit, but not much." The older woman explained. Noticing Roxy's stricken face, Shirley sighed. "She'll be alright, Rox. If Derek pulls this off then she'll be home in no time."

"And Derek will pull this off." The man himself announced, sitting beside them and taking a sip of his drink. He glanced up and nodded his head towards the bar. "Who's your friend?"

"She's out of your league, mate, so don't go getting any ideas."

"Now, now, Shirley." He said smoothly. "I'm only being friendly."

He rose sharply as Karen returned and placed Shirley and Roxy's drinks in front of them. "Allow me." He said quickly, moving to pick up her drink from the bar and setting it down on the table. "Derek Branning."

"Karen Betts." She replied, looking bemused.

"Friend of Shirley's, are you?"

"Oh, we go way back." The prison governor smirked. "Saw each other pretty much every day at one point, didn't we, Shirl?"

Shirley chuckled. "We did. Last time we had a drink together it was a very different situation, weren't it?"

Derek looked totally confused by the coded phrases, but fixed a broad smile on his face. "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Listen, Derek, I haven't seen Karen for a while and was hoping for a catch-up." Shirley said firmly. "If there's anything important you wanted to tell me?"

"No, it can wait." He said, looking annoyed. "I'll speak to you tomorrow."

When he'd left, Roxy gave a theatrical shiver. "He gives me the creeps."

"Yeah, well, we need him onside at the moment, remember." Shirley warned her in a low voice.

"I'm assuming I don't want to know why." Karen chipped in, raising an eyebrow and taking a sip of her drink.

"Probably not, Miss." Shirley said, smirking even more broadly.


	25. Chapter 25 Derek

_**A/N: This is a very short chapter, but I**__** hope you enjoy it anyway! :)**_

* * *

"Listen, mate." Derek snapped into his mobile as he rounded the corner towards the car lot and nodded at his brother. "I don't care what you have to do, just make sure they're there at eight."

"What was that about?" Max asked as the older man approached him.

Derek shook his head. "Don't worry about it. You probably don't want to know."

Max raised an eyebrow and then shook his head. "Fair enough. Listen, I've got someone coming to look at a motor in five minutes."

Nodding, his brother turned and headed in the direction of the café. As he passed the Minute Mart, Tyler appeared, grabbing his arm and pulling him into the pub alley.

"What you paying at?"

Tyler glanced around unnecessarily, before he spoke. "I've heard you've found them?"

"Might have done." Derek agreed. "So?"

"I wanna come with you when you get them to admit what they've done." He smiled as the older man looked confused. "Shirley told me about your plan to scare them into giving Katy an alibi."

Exhaling sharply, the man nodded. "Fine. But if you mess this up it won't be me on your case. I imagine those Mitchell women can be vicious if you cross them."

"Don't worry." Tyler told him seriously. "I don't intend to mess this up."


	26. Chapter 26 Tyler

"Don't worry." Tyler told Derek seriously. "I don't intend to mess this up."

As the older man nodded approvingly, Tyler turned and left the alley, heading back to the Emporium. Anthony glanced up as his brother appeared in the doorway, noticing the expression on his face and frowning curiously.

"What's up?" He asked. "You and Katy had another fight?"

"Eh? Nah… I just miss them, that's all."

"Yeah, well. I didn't even know she had another Aunt." Anthony shrugged. "She could have told you before she upped and left."

"Leave it, Ant." Tyler shrugged. "Her Aunt needed her, she couldn't say no."

"Will she be back soon?"

"I said leave it, alright?" The younger brother snapped, slamming the wooden box he'd been examining back down on the table and glaring at him.

"Ty?"

Shaking his head and growling in anger, Tyler stalked out of the Emporium and slammed the door behind him. He grasped his head in his hands, dropping to the ground and doing all he could not to let out a shout of fury.

It was only the sound of his mobile ringing that drew him out of his daydream. For a moment he considered ignoring it. With a sigh, he pulled it out of his pocket and glanced at the display. Tyler didn't recognise the number displayed on the screen, but he clicked the accept button anyway, putting the phone to his ear.

"Yeah, Tyler Moon." He snapped.

"Well that's a nice hello." A very familiar voice laughed on the other end of the line.

"Babe?"

"Yes, idiot, it's me!" Katy agreed with a laugh.

Tyler felt as though his heart was going to explode. He slowly made his way to the nearby bench and sank down on it. "How are you?"

"I'm alright, how are you?"

"Much better now." He admitted. "I miss you!"

"I miss you too, babe, but we've just got to get on with it for now, ain't we." She told him firmly. "When they realise I'm innocent, I'll be out and we'll forget all about this and Joey and everything, alright? Start again?"

Tyler smiled. "I've forgotten already."

"How's Ruby?"

"She was fine when I saw her. Ronnie's taken her and James to stay with Peggy for a while. They're telling everyone that you've gone to stay with your Aunt Hazel because of a family emergency."

"My Aunt who? Where did they drag that one up from?"

"Nah, babe." He said with a shrug. "She's actually your Aunt. Jack and Ronnie went to look for you in Newport and they bumped into her. Apparently she fell out with your Mum and her sisters before you were even born."

"Convenient." Katy muttered. "Listen, I can't talk for long, there's a queue. I just wanted you to know I'm OK. And I wanted to hear your voice."

"It's great to hear from you, babe." He replied instantly. "Lauren and Whitney have been on at me to find out why you ain't rang them, even if you are on holiday. Oh, and Lola had her baby; a little girl called Lexi." He told her in a rush, trying to give her all the information he'd promised to pass on before she had to go. "And Amy wanted you to know she's going to draw a picture for Roxy to bring you."

"That's so sweet." Katy said gently. "Tell Lo I'm really happy for her. And tell the girls… tell them I'll phone them when I can."

"Of course." He promised at once.

"I can't have another visit for 2 weeks… it's one a fortnight. Hopefully I won't need to send you a visiting order. Oh… I've got to go." She said quickly. "Love you, babe."

Tyler stared at his mobile as the line went dead. He didn't know whether to be relieved or concerned that she sounded so cheerful after being locked up. Either way, it didn't stop him missing her.


	27. Chapter 27

After Katy hung up on Tyler, she headed to the Julies' cell. As she'd expected, Tina was sitting with them, chattering on about something she'd heard on the television. They glanced up and smiled as she entered and dropped onto Julie J's bed.

"You alright, love?"

"Better than my boyfriend, that's for sure!" She grinned.

"Oh! You spoken to him, then?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Apparently my sisters have told everyone I'm staying with my Aunt. I dunno why they're bothering to cover up the fact that I'm in here. People will find out when I'm sent down, won't they? I mean, I can't stay with my Aunt for however long the judge gives me, can I?"

"You can't be sure you are going to be sent down." Julie S told her. "You need to think positive, love."

Katy didn't answer. Instead she just nodded and turned her attention to her fingernails, not meeting anyone's eyes.

"Is it true your family's like… famous, Katy?" Tina asked eagerly.

Katy looked up, raising an eyebrow and smirking in amusement. "What are you on about, T?"

"The Mitchells."

"We had a screw here called Josh Mitchell once." Julie S told her. "Was he one of your lot?"

The teenager snorted with laughter. "One of my family a screw? You must be kidding! They'd be lynched!"

"Fair point." Julie agreed, nodding.

"Just… Julie said that everyone knows about the Mitchells, but I ain't ever heard of them. Well, I thought I hadn't, but then I remembered that my Dad used to be friends with someone called Archie Mitchell."

"And we said we knew an Archie Mitchell." Julie J added.

"Are you related to him?" Julie S added.

"My old man." The teenager admitted reluctantly. "Waste of space."

"Really?" The Julies chorused.

"'Cos we always thought he was charming."

Katy snorted derisively. "Oh, apparently he was. I never met him personally. He had an affair with my Mum and dumped her when she told him she was pregnant. By the time I went looking for him, someone had done him in. What I found out about him afterwards made me wish I'd done it."

"I remember that!" Julie J said excitedly. "It were on the news, weren't it, Ju? A couple of years back."

"Yeah. I remember now. They never caught no one for it, did they?"

Katy smiled slightly. "No."

She could tell that they were going to ask about the expression on her face, when the sound of footsteps and the jangling of keys alerted them to the presence of a screw and they all looked up.

"Mitchell? Miss Betts wants to see you."

"Again?" Tina exclaimed.

"This is harassment!"

"She ain't done nothing!"

Katy smiled. "It's alright, girls. I'm a Mitchell, it comes with the territory."

She stood up and followed Mr Henderson down the metal staircase and through the gates out of the wing. The route was familiar to the teenager now, even though she'd only been in Larkhall for five days.

"Listen, Mitchell…" Henderson started, fitting his keys into the lock and opening yet another gate. Katy knew that there were four more between here and Karen's office. "The paperwork's finally been sorted and I've been made your personal officer."

"Great." She said unenthusiastically, stepping through the gate. "I was hoping for Bodybag. We get on so well. I bet she's devastated."

Henderson smirked and grabbed her arm tightly, spinning her round to face him. Katy glanced down at his hand on her.

"Ow! Get off me!"

"Let's get one thing straight, Mitchell. Either you're with me, or you're against me. Being against me could make things very difficult for you indeed." He warned her.

Katy tried to pull her arm out of his grip, but he slammed her against the wall, knocking the air from her chest. She gasped, staring at him with wide-eyes. As he opened his mouth to add to his warning, the sound of footsteps alerted him to someone approaching and he moulded his face into an expression of concern.

"What's going on here?" Mrs Hollamby demanded.

"Mitchell slipped; the floor must be wet or something." Henderson told her quickly. "I think she's winded herself."

"Where are you going, anyway?" The woman demanded, looking at Katy with complete distain.

"Betts wants to see her."

"Again?" Hollamby asked, sounding outraged. "What's she done now?"

Henderson shrugged. "Who knows, but the rate she's going she'll end up in the block sooner rather than later."

The teenager rolled her eyes, much to the female guard's annoyance, before Henderson grabbed her arm and pulled her away. They walked in silence to the wing governor's office, with the guard gripping onto her arm much more tightly than was necessary. Katy was convinced that she'd have bruises.

"Mitchell to see you, Ma'am." Henderson announced, shoving Katy through the doorway so roughly that she nearly stumbled. As she glared at him, he smiled insincerely. "Oh, sorry."

"You will be." She snapped.

"Enough." Karen ordered. "Katy, sit. Thanks, Liam. Wait outside please."

As soon as the door was closed, Katy jumped up, pointing at the space the guard had just vacated. "He should be sacked. I'm going to have bruises!"

"Calm down."

Reluctantly, the teenager took her seat once more and stared sulkily at the blonde woman, who perched on the edge of her desk and smiled.

"What?"

"I've just been informed of your trial date." Karen said with an even broader smile. "Friday August 12th at eleven o'clock."

"Bloody hell." Katy muttered, taken aback. "That's only two weeks."

"Two weeks yesterday." The governor agreed, nodding. "You're lucky it's so soon."

"Doesn't really make a difference, does it? I'm gonna be coming back here."

Karen sighed deeply. "Come on, stop being so defeatist! Your family are doing everything they can to make sure you get out. They couldn't tell me what they're planning and I didn't ask."

"You've seen my family? Are they alright?"

"They're fine. I went for a couple of drinks with Shirley and Roxy last night. I told them you were settling in well and confident about your trial."

"Great." The teenager groaned.

"What?"

"Well when I get sent down they're gonna be even more worried about me than they already are." She pointed out. "If they think I've got my hopes pinned on getting out they're gonna be gutted."

There was a pause. Obviously the governor didn't know what to say to try and cheer the girl up over her chances at the trial. Katy shook her head, twisting her hands in her lap.

"You should have seen your sister's face when she heard that you were on the same wing as Pat Kerrigan, let alone that you were friends with her. Shirley had to remind her that this is prison, not a holiday camp."

Katy laughed, imaging how her sister would be envisaging her. "Roxy's an idiot sometimes. I bet she was going on about me being defenceless?" The blonde woman nodded and the teenager's smile widened. Then it vanished from her face. "You didn't tell them, did you? About the other day?"

"No." Karen shook her head seriously. "I promised I wouldn't."

"Thanks. They'd just worry."

"You should, though. They're your family." Karen advised her gently. When Katy just stared blankly at her, she stood up. "Alright, you'd better get back. Try not to wind Mrs Hollamby up too much, please? She's been bending my ear about you non-stop."

"I can't help it!" Katy replied as innocently as she could. "Our personalities are just incompatible."

Karen laughed and moved to open the door. "Right, your lawyer will be here on Thursday to discuss things before your trial. Mr Henderson?"

As Katy followed the guard out of the office, she turned and sent the governor a smile, before disappearing from sight.


	28. Chapter 28

Katy waited nervously in the line for visiting on Tuesday afternoon. The Julies grinned at her as she followed the other prisoners out of the wing, while Tina sent her a small wave. Behind her in the queue, Pat squeezed her shoulder and smiled. The teenager couldn't explain why she was so nervous about seeing her sisters and Ruby. There was no denying that she was excited, but she was also terrified.

She went into the visiting room with everyone else and took her place at one of the tables. Nervously she looked around, catching Pat's eye and grinning, waiting for the door at the opposite end of the room from where they'd entered to open.

"Right, you lot!" Hollamby shouted. "Stay in your seats, hands where we can see them, no funny business, alright?"

Then the door was open and people started streaming in. There were exclamations of delight as the prisoners greeted their friends and family. Katy barely registered them, too eager to spot the familiar faces.

"Ron! Rox!" She called out, ignoring the orders and standing up to hug her sisters tightly. She clung on as though she would never let them go.

"Mitchell! In your seat!"

"Alright, Miss." Katy sighed. "Keep your wig on."

"That's enough cheek from you, young lady."

"Katy." Ronnie muttered, shaking her head.

The teenager closed her mouth abruptly, noting the warning look in her sister's eyes. She shot Hollamby a look, before sitting down and turning to face her sisters in the seats opposite. Katy held out her arms and Ronnie handed Ruby over.

"Hello angel!" The teenager murmured, hugging her daughter tightly and pressing a kiss to her head. "Mummy's missed you lots and lots. Did you miss me?"

"Mamamamamama." Was the response from the toddler, along with a beaming smile.

"How are you, babe?" Roxy asked looking at her carefully as though she thought she could tell how her sister was feeling from just looking at her.

"I'm alright, thanks. How are you lot? How're Amy and James?"

"Alright, thanks, sweetheart. We brought some drawings they've done you and gave them to the guards. Apparently they'll give them to you later. They miss their Auntie Katy, that's for sure." Ronnie told her with a smile.

"Yeah, well, Auntie Katy misses them, too."

"How're you holding up?" The older blonde pressed.

Katy sighed. "I told you, I'm alright. I heard that Lola had her baby. Lexi, isn't it? My mate Tina helped me make her a card. I hope she gets it."

Ronnie looked at her, noticing her insistence to move the subject away from herself. "I'm sure she will."

"We've heard about your mates." Roxy told her, almost accusingly. "You're hanging out with a murderer?"

"What?" Katy laughed, bouncing Ruby on her knee. "I'm in prison, Rox! They're all criminals, except the ones that were wrongly convicted. Besides, that's Pat over there." She motioned her head towards the woman who was talking with her visitor. As though she noticed them looking, she turned and smiled. "She's alright. And don't start saying I'm going to get beaten up or whatever, 'cos I can look out for myself."

Ronnie reached forward and grasped the teenager's chin in her fingers, tilting her head to look at her cheek. She raised an eyebrow. "Nice bruise."

"Yeah, well, like I said, I can take care of myself."

"We should have seen the other girl, right?" Her sister replied sarcastically.

Katy grinned. For a moment her sisters just stared at her. Then Ronnie sighed and leant forwards, shaking her head and taking hold of Katy's hand. "We're doing everything we can to get you out, sweetie, I promise. We've got Ritchie on the case right now. Shirl's been talking to her mate–"

"I know, she told me." The teenager informed her with a smile.

Roxy rolled her eyes. "Start acting as though you're taking this seriously, Katy."

"Seriously? I'm the one stuck in here, Roxanne."

"Yeah, we know, babe." The younger blonde said sighing. "Sorry."

"So, what are you doing to get me off?" Katy asked. She tried to mould her face into an expression of hopefulness. In her mind there was no way that they could go against all the evidence and prove she wasn't there at the time.

"Derek's on that."

"Derek?" Katy arched an eyebrow. "Derek Branning?"

Ronnie smirked. "We're letting him get his hands dirty on this one."

"Will it work?"

"It better." Ronnie assured her, smiling. She reached out and plucked at the orange vest that her sister had to wear for visiting time. "This really isn't your colour, baby."

Katy laughed and shook her head. "Look..." She started, looking uncomfortable. Glancing to the right, she sneaked a quick glance at the pair of guards who were observing the visit. "It ain't that I don't want to see you two, 'cos you know how much I love you both. It's just... Well... Shirl's more use to me while I'm stuck in here, ain't she? She's an ex-con and knows this place better than the rest of us put together. Besides, this lot love her. They're always banging on about how things were in Yvonne's day."

"That's fine, Katy, but you can't get by on Shirley's reputation for ever, can you?" Her elder sister reminded her.

The teenager shook her head and leant forwards, squeezing Ronnie's hand. "I know. That's why I'm building a reputation of my own."

"That's what the bruise is, is it?" Roxy demanded sarcastically.

"Please don't tell me you're getting yourself into trouble. There's only so much Karen can protect you from." Ronnie reminded her in a low voice so that no one else would hear.

"I know that, Ron, I know." Katy assured her carefully. "And I don't want her to protect me too much. Being a screw's pet only gets you so far in this place. Anyway, it works both ways. She helps me, I help her. Sometimes you've got to make sacrifices to stay above suspicion."

"Bloody hell, Katy!" The blonde snapped, pulling her hands out of her sister's grip. "If you're risking staying in this place longer than you really have to just to save face–"

The teenager snorted. "I ain't stupid."

"You're doing a pretty good impression of it."

Katy sighed. "Listen, right. Karen's got my back. I know where the line is and I have no intention of even sticking my little toe over it. I promise. I've even avoided the block so far."

"Your trial is in less than two weeks, so just keep your head down and you'll be out of here before you know it."

"Yeah, right." She nodded, turning Ruby and sitting her on the table so that she was facing her. Instead of saying anything else to her sisters, she pulled faces at her daughter and tickled her stomach, making the little girl giggle happily.

"That's time, ladies and gentlemen." Hollamby announced, sounding more pleased than she had any right to be.

Reluctantly Katy handed Ruby back to her sister, sighing and trying not to let the tears that were threatening to escape show in her eyes. She stroked Ruby's hand, trying to ignore her daughter's whimpers and struggles to get back to her.

"We'll see you soon, baby." Ronnie told her gently, stroking her cheek.

"Love you, babe." Roxy added, kissing her forehead.

Katy nodded, unable to speak for fear of actually bursting into tears. She waited until all the visitors had been shown out, before standing with the others and lining up to be searched. As they waited to return to the wing, Pat moved to stand beside her, nudging her gently with her shoulder.

"You alright?"

"Apart from feeling as though someone's just ripped out my heart, I'm fine." She said with a grim smile, hugging herself for comfort.

"Know that feeling."

"Was that your girlfriend?" Katy asked, motioning back towards the visiting room as they waited for the gate to the wing to be unlocked.

"Yeah." Pat nodded. "I'll see you later, alright?"

Katy nodded and watched her head up the staircase to her cell. With a deep breath, the teenager steadied herself and fixed a grin on her face as she went in search of the Julies.


	29. Chapter 29

_**A/N: Hello darlings! I just wanted to say a huge thank you to you all for reading, reviewing, favouriting and subscribing. It really does mean a lot to know that you're all enjoying it because, after all, I'm writing this just as much for your enjoyment as mine!**_

**_Also, to everyone who's asking when Katy's going to get out, it's going to be a long, bumpy road! After all, she is a Mitchell ;)_**

* * *

They'd been locked in their cells all day because some idiot had decided to nick a knife from the kitchens. Katy was pacing around, totally bored. She'd read a book for a while, but after an hour or so the teenager really needed to get some fresh air and walk around somewhere more than her cell.

"You alright, darlin'?" Julie S shouted through the wall from their cell next door.

"Bored out of my brain, Ju!" The teenager called back, leaning against their shared wall. "How long is this gonna last?"

"Three days last time, weren't it, Ju?"

"Bloody hell! I don't know if I can stand that, babe!" She told them. "What day even is it now? Is it still Thursday?"

"Don't be an idiot, mate!" Julie J chipped in with a laugh. "Course it is!"

"Yeah, well, I've already missed my meeting with my solicitor this afternoon, ain't I, about my trial." Katy reminded them. "They better rearrange it. The trial's a week tomorrow."

"It'll be alright."

The teenager sighed and lay on her bed, staring at the bricks in the ceiling. She had almost fallen asleep, out of sheer boredom, when she heard a key being turned in the cell door. Propping herself up on her elbows, the teenager waited to see who was coming into her room.

"Eurgh… what do you want?" She muttered as Henderson slipped into her room.

"Less of the lip, Mitchell." He ordered, pushing the door closed behind him. "It's your trial next week, isn't it?"

"You know it is."

"Right, well, you don't want to spend your last few days here down the block, do you?"

Katy narrowed her eyes and twisted on the bed so that she was leaning against the wall with her knees bent in front of her. To the teenager they felt like a barrier. "I ain't done nothing to mean I get sent down there."

"Yeah, well, we'll see." He said, moving towards her.

"What the hell are you doing?" She demanded, rolling sideways and sliding off the end of the bed as he tried to grab her.

"You've got too much to say for yourself, Mitchell." He snapped, lunging for her again. Katy twisted sideways to avoid his hand, but ended up trapping herself in the corner. "Someone needs to teach you some manners."

"That's gonna be you, is it?" She snapped, dodging his grip again.

As he advanced on her, Katy swiped at the items on the top of her small table, sending them crashing to the ground. Henderson gave a low growl and leapt at her, grabbing both her arms and holding tight. The teenager struggled, kicking out and sending the table skidding sideways where it hit the wall with a bang.

"Katy? What's going on?" The Julies shouted in alarm.

She tried to call out to them, but the guard clamped his hand over her mouth. Katy bit down hard, tasting blood as her teeth sank into his fingers. Henderson gave a strangled cry, before lashing out, backhanding the teenager across the face and sending her sprawling into the wall. Gasping for breath, Katy sank to the floor, a hand on her cheek which felt as though it was on fire.

"Katy?" The women repeated. "Katy!"

Looking between his hand, which was dripping blood, and the teenager who was curled up on the floor, Henderson's face clouded with fury. As his boot connected with her ribs, Katy let out a blood curdling scream at the top of her lungs. It didn't hurt anywhere near as much as her cry suggested, but it did the trick.

Seconds later there was uproar. Banging and shouting and threats could be heard from every cell. The prisoners were demanding to know what was going on; some angry and some fearful.

"Jesus Christ!" Karen shouted, appearing in the cell seconds after Katy had screamed. "What the hell is going on in here?"

Henderson span round instantly, holding up his hand. "She bit me, Ma'am."

"Because he attacked me!" The teenager sobbed, still curled up on the ground. "It was self-defence."

"Katy? Katy!" The Julies were still shouting anxiously, their shouts unmistakable over the racket.

Karen pointed furiously at the guard. "What the hell were you doing in here in the first place? They're supposed to be on lockdown."

"I wanted to make sure Katy was prepared for trial, seeing as she's missed her legal meeting. I'm her Personal Officer and I was checking up on her." He explained. "But then when I got in here she tried it on with me. I turned her down and she went crazy."

The teenager was stunned. She stared between the two guards in horror. "That's a total lie!"

There was a long pause as Karen considered the situation. The noise was still going on out on the wing, despite the guards' best efforts to calm the prisoners down. The wing governor put a hand to her head as she tried to work out what had happened.

"Listen, Karen, I don't know how else to–" Henderson started.

She cut him off, practically jabbing her finger in his face. "Get out of my sight."

"What?"

"I'll see you in my office."

The guard looked between the two women, before storming out of the cell. The second he was gone, the wing governor crossed the cell and dropped to the floor beside the teenager. She gently took Katy's face in her hands, tilting it to assess the damage. Katy winced and Karen pulled her head forward and parted her hair, revealing a cut where the back of her head had hit the wall.

"What happened?" Karen asked gently, helping Katy to her feet and leading her to sit on her bed. "Hang on." She crossed to the door and leant through. "Get a nurse."

"It wasn't like he said, Miss." Katy told her, wincing as she touched the wound hidden beneath her hair.

Gently, Karen swatted her hand away. "So, what happened?"

"I was sitting here and he just came in. I asked what he wanted and he said that it was my trial next week and asked whether I wanted to spend the rest of my time in here on the block." The teenager told her quickly, spitting the words out. "So I pointed out that I ain't done nothing to get sent down the block for and he just came at me, going on about how someone should teach me a lesson." She glanced up from her hands and saw Karen looking at her seriously. Ignoring the pain in her ribs as she stood up, the teenager crossed the cell. "I'm telling the truth! Why does no one ever believe me? This, my trial… it's because I'm a Mitchell, ain't it? Just because of my sodding surname everyone thinks I'm a liar! I probably didn't get bail because of my surname! I'm a Mitchell, so I must be a criminal!"

Bursting into tears, Katy turned and stood with her back to the governor, looking in the mirror. She tried to pull away as Karen wrapped her in a hug, but the pain from her ribs was too much. After a couple of moments struggling, she let the woman hold onto her, carefully leading her back to the bed.

"We'll get the nurse to look you over and then we'll make a bed up in with the Julies." Karen told her gently. "You shouldn't be on your own."

"I'm not lying!" Katy insisted again, her voice thick with tears.

The woman looked at her and nodded. "I know."


	30. Chapter 30

"What the bleedin' hell happened to you?" Julie S demanded as Karen opened the cell door and ushered the teenager inside.

"Henderson." Katy muttered, sitting on Julie J's bed and clutching her ribs.

"What? Again?!"

"Again?" Karen shot, looking almost angrily at the teenager. "What do you mean, again?"

"This ain't the first time he's gone for her, Miss." Julie J said quickly before Katy could stop her.

Julie S shook her head. "He pushed her up against a wall almost in front of Bodybag last time."

"Why didn't you tell me about this?" Karen hissed at Katy.

The teenager shrugged. "I told you he should be sacked."

"I thought you were just mouthing off like usual!" The woman snapped. Then she sighed and rubbed her forehead wearily. "I need to go and sort this out. Stay here."

"Well I can't exactly go anywhere, can I?" Katy pointed out sarcastically, earning herself a glare as the door was pulled shut and locked.

"You alright, sweetheart?"

"Yeah." Katy assured the women. "I'll have some bloody good bruises and I've got a couple of cracked ribs, but nothing serious. I've had worse in my time."

"The man's an animal!"

"He shouldn't just be sacked," Julie S added, "he should be arrested!"

"Yeah, well, Betts is on it now, ain't she? She'll sort it out." Katy reminded them with a shrug.

"Does she fancy you or something? That's happened round here before; female wing governor falling in love with one of the cons." Julie S told her seriously while her best friend nodded in agreement.

Katy arched an eyebrow. "Are you kidding? Betts? No way! She's straight as a... ruler?"

"Well do you fancy her, then?" Julie J asked.

"What?" Katy burst out laughing. "What are you two on about?"

"Well why do you keep disappearing off to her office for little chats then?"

The teenager looked between them and sighed. "Because I'm apparently a vulnerable prisoner and have to be kept an eye on."

"Vulnerable?" The women chorused, looking disbelieving.

"Yeah, I know. Shocking, ain't it? But I'm young, I've got a baby and there's a history of depression in my family; my Mum topped herself just after my seventeenth birthday. I found her body."

"Oh, darlin'..."

"Yeah... and after Ruby was born I went a bit... funny. They thought I might be ill. Then I came in here and they thought I might crack up or something." Katy shrugged. "My sisters probably tried to get me put on constant surveillance or something."

"So Betts is making sure you ain't gonna top yourself?"

"Pretty much."

"You ain't gonna, are you?"

Katy shook her head vigorously. "Course not. I wouldn't ever do that to Ruby. I'm fine."

There was a long silence as Katy made up the bed that had been dragged into the cell. She sat on it for a moment before glancing at the blonde women and sending them a small smile.

"I'm sorry." She told them quietly. "I didn't mean to snap at you. I'm just upset that I'm gonna look like a punch bag for my trial. I think you're gonna have to do your magic so that my family don't panic. I can imagine that they'll going to be thinking all sorts. I doubt my sisters believe I'm perfectly capable of looking after myself in here."

Without saying anything, the women stood up and sat on either side of the teenager, giving her a reassuring hug.

x-x

"Nice black eye." Pat said the next morning, putting her breakfast tray on the table in front of her and sitting down. "It's a good look for you."

They'd finally been let off lockdown, much to Katy's relief. As much as she liked the Julies, she would have preferred to have been in her own cell after her run-in with the prison guard.

"Thanks."

"What's the story?" The lifer asked, examining the teenager's face carefully. "How did you manage to get a black eye on lockdown?"

"Henderson."

Pat leant back in her chair looking furious. "You are kidding me."

"I wish. I screamed blue murder and Betts came running."

"So that's what the commotion was." Pat realised, nodding slowly. "She better get him out of here or I might have to settle the score."

Katy shook her head. "I don't need you getting yourself into trouble for me. I can handle myself."

"I can see that." The woman told her, arching an eyebrow.

"I was trying to avoid trouble. It's my trial on Friday, ain't it? I didn't want to look like this for that."

"That's the trouble with screws; they don't give a shit."

"Yeah, well, hopefully Henderson will be history now."

The older woman raised her eyebrows and returned her attention to her breakfast. Katy looked at her for a moment before sighing and starting to eat her own meal. They sat in silence for a couple of minutes until a loud gasp from the serving hatch caught their attention and they both looked up quickly.

"You are kidding me?" Julie S said loudly, her gaze focused in the direction of the officers' room.

Katy turned her head to see what the women were looking at. Her heart plummeted somewhere in the region of her stomach as she spotted the guard leaning in the doorway of the office with a smirk pasted on his face. Henderson looked around the room until he met her eyes and his grin widened.

"What's he still doing here?" Pat snapped, standing up so quickly that she knocked the table towards the teenager.

Katy grabbed her arm and pulled her back into her seat. "Leave it, Pat. I mean it!"

"What's Betts playing at?"

No sooner had the words escaped from the lifer's mouth, than the blonde wing governor strode through the gates beside the office and headed towards them looking almost as angry as her prisoners.

"Katy? A word?" She requested. Katy nodded and Karen motioned towards the stairs. "In private?"

Standing up, Katy gathered her things and shot Pat a look before following the woman up the staircase and into her cell. Karen pushed the door closed as the teenager put her plate and mug away in the cupboard. Sitting on the bed, Katy looked expectantly at the blonde, waiting for her to start the conversation.

"Well? What's your excuse for that bastard screw still being here?" She demanded when the older woman seemed reluctant to speak.

"I'm sorry, Katy, I really am. I tried so, so hard to nail him but he's sticking to his story that you attacked him and he just fended you off. It's your word against his and not everyone's as open minded as me."

"But Bodybag saw him attack me before!"

Karen sighed. "She's backing up his story that you winded yourself by falling over and he was helping you."

"Evil cow! She knows that's a lie!"

"Calm down." The governor ordered as Katy stood up angrily and started stamping around her cell.

"Calm down? Are you friggin' kidding me? Thanks to him my family are going to see me like this!" She shouted pointing angrily at her face. "A black eye and a split lip? That's gonna look brilliant at my trial, ain't it? I bet that's why he did it! This is just perfect. My family are going to freak out when they see me. They're going to think I can't cope with this! I'm going to kill him!"

"Katy! You really need to calm down."

There was a long pause. "You're right. This isn't going to help." She sat down on the bed, thinking hard. "I shouldn't be making threats in front of a screw. It's not fair on you."

Karen sighed and sat down beside her. "I tried my best, I really did. But you have to admit you haven't exactly been the best behaved con since you got here. You've cheeked Hollamby and Henderson non-stop. He's claiming that this is just another stunt."

"That's not true!"

"I know. But you're lucky you haven't been sent to the block. You don't know how many strings I've had to pull to prevent that."

Katy looked at her, sensing that there was something else. "What is it?"

"You have to apologise to Henderson."

"You what?" The teenager demanded. "Are you joking?"

"I'm sorry."

Taking a deep breath, her mind whirling as she plotted her next move, Katy stood up. "Let's get this over and done with then."

Karen narrowed her eyes, obviously suspecting some kind of trick. The teenager just smiled back innocently. She stalked towards the cell door, the heels of her boots clicking on the floor loudly. Pulling open the cell door, Katy took a breath to steady herself and stepped out onto the landing.

Before she could take another step, Karen grabbed her arm and turned her round so that she was looking directly at her. "You better not be pulling another stunt, Katy. I've put my neck on the line for you."

"Katy?"

The governor dropped the teenager's arm quickly as Pat appeared at the top of the stairs, glaring suspiciously at her. "Go on then. Oh, your legal visit has been rearranged for this afternoon at three."

"Thanks." Katy smiled, putting as much meaning into the word as she could.

"She hassling you?"

Shaking her head, Katy smiled. "No, she tried her best, but screws still get believed over us whatever."

"You're lucky you ain't down the block then."

"I'd rather be there." The teenager admitted. "I have to apologise to the bastard."

"You're kidding?"

Sighing, she shook her head. "Sadly not. But he is going to regret this. He's going to wish he'd never set eyes on me."


	31. Chapter 31 Roxy

Roxy had been far from happy to find out that Katy had missed her pre-trial meeting with Ritchie because of some stupid regulation that meant the teenager had been locked in her cell all day. Shirley had given up trying to explain that the lockdown was, as much as she hated to admit it, probably for Katy's own safety as well as anything else.

"It was rearranged for this afternoon, Rox." The older woman told her with a sigh. "Ritchie'll make sure she's all set for next week, alright?"

"How can I be alright with my little sister banged up with a load of criminals?"

Shirley arched an eyebrow at her and decided to change the subject. "You still gonna enter Amy in that baby competition?"

"Course. Katy wouldn't want Amy to miss out, would she?"

"You sure you're just not trying to get one over Christian and Syed and Zainab?" The woman chuckled.

"If Amy didn't want to do it, then I wouldn't make her." Roxy argued. "She's well excited."

"I'm sure she is."

Making a sound of annoyance, the younger woman turned up the volume on the television. Shirley knew that the younger blonde had absolutely no interest in the Olympics and the only reason she was pretending to be engrossed in the Fencing was that she was trying to pretend everything was fine. Knowing there was no point trying to talk to her at the moment, because Roxy would continue to say that she was concentrating on the beautiful babies competition, or whatever it was called, because Amy was excited about it, Shirley left.

As soon as the flat door closed, Roxy turned the television off. She stared gloomily at it for a moment, before moving into the kitchen and putting the kettle on. Jack was at the gym and Amy had gone round to Christian's to play with Yasmin for a couple of hours. Without her sisters, Roxy almost felt lost.

She was just contemplating her half-made mug of tea when the buzzer sounded. Almost on auto-pilot, Roxy pressed the button to release the front door and opened the door to the flat, wiping her eyes and hurriedly fishing the teabag out of her mug.

"Roxy?" Lola called, knocking softly on the door before coming in.

"You alright, Lola?" The blonde asked, smiling broadly. "How's Lexi?"

"Gorgeous." The teenager told her, bouncing the newborn gently in her arms. "We came round to tell you that we had a card from Auntie Katy this morning."

"Yeah? She said her friend Tina helped her make you a card."

Lola shrugged. "The letters on it were made of foil."

"Really?" Roxy laughed softly. "That's interesting. Fancy a cuppa?"

"Go on then."

They stayed on neutral topics for a while, Lola asking advice on certain things to do with her daughter. Roxy was only too happy to answer her questions, keeping her mind on more cheerful matters for a while.

"D'you reckon they'd let us visit her?" Lola asked after a while.

Roxy shrugged. "I don't see why not. But her trial's on Friday, so she should be home in a week."

"You really think she's going to get off then?"

"Course." The woman snapped, more harshly than she'd intended. "Why wouldn't she? She's innocent."

"Yeah, I know!" Lola argued, almost as snappily. "I was just asking."

There was a pause and then Roxy sighed. "Yeah, I know. I just miss her."

"Course you do; we all do."

"You ain't told no one, have you?"

Lola shook her head. "Nah, as far as that lot are concerned she's visiting her Auntie, ain't she? I've had Lauren and Whitney on my case wanting to know why she ain't rang them."

"She will when she gets a chance."

"When's Ronnie coming home with the kids?" The teenager asked lightly, trying to change the conversation slightly.

"After the trial, when Katy comes home."

"But what if she doesn't?" Lola pointed out as gently as she could.

Roxy glared at her for a moment, before standing up. "I've got to go and pick up Amy from Christian's."

Sighing, the teenager stood up and made her way to the door. For a moment she looked as though she was going to say something, but then thought better of it and left, closing the door quietly behind her.

Angrily Roxy looked down at her mug of tea, before tipping it into the sink and slamming it down on the counter. She leant heavily on the surface, scowling at the mug as though she thought it had personally offended her. Then, in one fluid movement, she picked it up and hurled it at the wall. It smashed instantly, sending pieces flying around the room.

Roxy blinked, realising what she'd done and sighed. Reaching under the sink she pulled out the dustpan and brush and started clearing it up without thinking. As soon as she had tipped the broken china into the bin, Roxy sat at the kitchen table and put her head on her arms. She burst into angry tears at the injustice of everything.

x-x

"Roxy?"

"Yeah?" The blonde sighed, answering her mobile later that evening.

"I've just had a call from Ritchie." Shirley told her. "I thought you'd like to know."

The blonde's heart leapt and she perched on the arm of the sofa. "What did she say? Is Katy alright?"

"Course she is. She's as tough as old boots that one. Ritchie said she's dealing very well with everything and she's keeping her chin up. Apparently when she found out we've sorted the witnesses for her defence Ritchie thought she was either going to faint or start dancing."

"Which did she chose?"

"Neither." Shirley chuckled. "She just wanted to know how."

"Did Ritchie tell her?"

"Course not!" Shirley scoffed. "She just told her it was sorted and what to say."

Roxy sighed. "Katy's not stupid. She'll know something's happened."

"If she's got any sense she'll keep her mouth shut and get on with it." The older woman pointed out. "Look, Derek's got everything under control, ain't he? Those scumbags have agreed to give her an alibi as long as Katy sticks to the story and we get them the money."

"I don't see why we should be paying out when she's innocent."

"Use your brain, Roxy! They've got the upper hand on this, we ain't got a choice. If they don't say she was with them she's got no alibi."

"I know that!" The younger woman snapped defensively. Then she let out a big sigh. "I suppose as long as it helps Katy then we'll just have to do whatever it takes."

"She's coming home, Rox. Katy's coming home."


	32. Chapter 32

After being taken back to the wing after her meeting with Ritchie, Katy went straight to her cell. She was still trying to get her head around what the lawyer had just told her.

Apparently her family had convinced Nathan and Paul to give her an alibi. She assumed that there were threats and bribes involved, but Ritchie had refused to tell her anything more. The woman just said that Katy needed to say she'd been with them and had told the police that they'd kidnapped her because she was angry with them. The words would stick in her throat, but Katy knew she couldn't afford to disagree.

Ritchie had gone through the procedures for the trial and made sure she understood what she needed to do. The teenager had listened half-heartedly, trying to get around the fact that maybe it wasn't such a lost cause as she'd thought.

"Look…" She started as the lawyer gathered up her things back into her briefcase as the meeting drew to an end. "Please don't mention this to Shirl or my sisters." Katy begged, pointing at her bruised and cut face. "All that happened was that I tripped and fell, but they'll worry about me."

"Katy, what goes on in our meetings is completely confidential." Ritchie said seriously.

The teenager smirked. "But obviously you'll be telling them everything?"

"Well…"

"That's fine. But I want you to make a point of telling them that I am fine."

Sighing, Ritchie nodded and stood up. "I will. Take care."

Mrs Hollamby, who had replaced Henderson as Katy's Personal Officer after the incident in her cell, opened the door and signalled for another guard to escort Ritchie out of the prison. She held out a hand, beckoning the teenager to follow her and started back towards the wing.

"That was Richmal Scott, wasn't it?" She asked interestedly.

Katy nodded. "Mmm… she's the Mitchell lawyer."

"Well… I've heard she's good."

"Yeah."

Hollamby, realising that she wasn't going to get much out of the teenager, rolled her eyes and continued in silence. Katy briefly wondered whether she should wind the woman up a bit, but decided against it. She really couldn't be bothered at the moment. All Katy wanted to do was be alone for a while to get used to the idea that maybe she wasn't as screwed as she'd thought she was.

x-x

"Katy!" Lauren squealed in her ear on Saturday morning as soon as she realised who had phoned her. "We thought you'd fallen off the face of the Earth!"

The teenager laughed. "Richmond isn't that far away!"

"Yeah, but you disappeared without saying anything! I had to find out that you'd gone to stay with your Aunt from Tyler. An Aunt, I might add, that I never even knew you had!"

"Yeah, sorry about that, babe. My phone died and it was kind of an emergency." Katy said as evenly as she could, before changing the subject abruptly. "So? What's the deal with you lot? Any gossip for me?"

"You will never guess what happened yesterday." Lauren announced. Before Katy had a chance to even take a guess at what might have happened, she launched into her story. "Me and Whit were doing that charity thing, you know the one where you get gig tickets? We ended up having to feed homeless people and guess who I saw at the shelter? Ian Beale!"

"No way?" Katy breathed in astonishment. "What did Princess Beale say?"

"She weren't there. She bailed on us to spend the day with Joey."

"Joey's back?" Katy wasn't sure how she felt about that information. She just hoped that Tyler wasn't going to do anything stupid like trying to beat him up.

"Yeah."

"So? What happened about Ian?"

"Mum and Dad went out with Alfie to track him down. They found him sleeping rough. I swear he's cracked up… he just sits there staring into space. It creeps me out!"

"Poor guy." Katy murmured, shaking her head. "He's obviously had a breakdown."

"Yeah… so when are you coming back?"

Katy gripped the phone tightly, squeezing her eyes closed. "I dunno yet, babe."

"Oh! Why?" Lauren whined.

"Stuff's a bit manic around here. I might be back at the end of the week if I can swing things my way."

There was a pause. "Why are you talking so weird?"

Katy laughed. "Sorry… I'm just a bit distracted."

"Get a move on, Mitchell!" Beth shouted, barging into the teenager from her place behind her in the queue.

Glaring furiously at her, Katy turned her back. "I've got to go, sorry babe."

"Who was that?" Lauren asked, sounding suspicious.

"Oh, that was my cousin." The teenager lied quickly. "I'm supposed to be going to the shops."

"Alright." Her friend agreed cheerfully. "I'll let you go."

"Cool, tell Whit I said hi. I'll ring you as soon as I can."

"Promise?"

Katy grinned. "Promise. See ya."

Hanging up, Katy glared at Beth, deliberately shoving her as she passed. The older woman looked as though she was about to kick off, but the presence of a guard at that precise moment made her reconsider. She wrenched the receiver of the phone from its position and punched in the number angrily.

Smirking in satisfaction, Katy made her way over to where Tina was perching on a table, watching the game of pool that was taking place. She pulled herself onto the table beside her and nudged the woman gently with her shoulder.

"Alright, T?"

"Yeah. You?"

Katy nodded. "Yeah… D'you know something? I think I finally believe that I might just get out of here."

"You think you'll win your trial then?"

"Yeah, maybe." The teenager agreed. "I've got a witness."

Tina stared at her in surprise. "You never said?"

"My lawyer told me yesterday and I didn't really believe it until now." Katy admitted with a shrug, watching the woman taking a shot on the pool table. "I thought I might jinx it or something. But according to Ritchie, my lawyer, it seems like I actually have a really good chance of winning now."

"D'you hear that, Pat?" Tina called as the older woman stalked past. "Katy thinks she might win her case."

The lifer stopped, folding her arms and considering the teenager carefully. "Really?"

"Yeah, her lawyer says she'd got a witness."

Pat nodded. "Well I'm glad to hear it."

Katy smiled as the woman walked away. There was something about her expression that had caught the teenager's interest, so she slid off the table and headed after her. Katy climbed the staircase to the third level of cells and knocked on Pat's door, waiting for her to invite her inside.

"What's up?" She asked hovering in the doorway.

"Nothing, I'm really pleased for you."

Raising an eyebrow, the teenager moved to sit on the end of the bed. "What's wrong?"

"I'm just pissed off at Bayliss. I'm almost sure she's getting drugs smuggled in here, but I can't prove it."

Considering her words for a moment, Katy nodded slowly. "So we need to find a way to prove it."

"You're getting out of here." Pat reminded her. "You can't risk anything."

"Don't tell me what I can't do, Ms Kerrigan." Katy smirked. "Where do we start?"


	33. Chapter 33 Tyler

Tyler was doing his best to keep his mind on everyday matters. Anthony was talking about something or other as they sat at the desk in the Emporium on Monday morning, but his younger brother wasn't really listening.

"How much d'you reckon this is worth?" Anthony asked, holding up a plate. When his brother didn't respond, he moved and poked him in the chest. "Ty?"

"What?"

"This plate? How much."

Sighing, Tyler took the plate from his hands and examined it. "Get the catalogue." He suggested.

They poured over the images in the book, before Anthony spotted an item similar to the one they had in their possession. Carefully, they weighed up the similarities and differences, pinning a price down between them.

At the sound of someone clearing their throat, both Moon brothers looked up and saw Derek standing in front of the desk, pointing to the ground in front of him. Assuming that it was something to do with Katy or the two men they'd convinced to give her an alibi, Tyler moved forwards to see what he wanted.

"_Not you, him._" Derek snapped, shaking his head.

Tyler's eyes narrowed slightly, but he swapped places with his brother anyway, sitting in the desk chair and listening with interest.

"_Now, a little birdie tells me that you're taking my daughter out again this afternoon._"

Anthony looked terrified. "_Who told you that?_"

"_Oh, why? Is it supposed to be a secret?_"

"_No…_" The young man started, before an interruption made all three turn and look at the doorway.

"_Oh, lovely!_" Alfie called, coming into the Emporium with Andrew in tow. "_There you are, eh?_"

"_Have a look, it's Usain Bolt._" Derek joked, making Tyler smile reluctantly.

Alfie ignored him, turning to his cousins. "_So? What happened, right? I texted, yeah? I said we'll meet at the Vic for a bit of exercise. What happened to you guys?_"

"_He was the only one who turned up!_"

"_Listen, Derek, if you don't mind I'm talking to the lads._"

Derek smirked. "_You can barely talk at all, Alfie!_"

"_Listen… you're either in the team…_"

"_If you can call it a team._"

"… _or you're not._"

"_Not._" Tyler told him, shaking his head.

"_What?_" Alfie demanded, looking horrified at his cousin's answer. "OK, so you've had a fallout with Katy and you miss her, I get that. But that's no reason to drop out of the team. She liked you in that kit, didn't she? Besides, this'll keep your mind off it until she gets back from her Auntie's, yeah?"

"It's not that, Alf." Tyler lied, clenching his hand into a fist under the desk.

Anthony took over the explanation and his brother didn't stop him. "_Alfie… three games, three defeats._"

"_Yeah, hold on… if Andrew can make the effort, you guys can._"

"_He needs the exercise, don't he?_"

Andrew glared at Tyler furiously. "_What's he saying?_"

As Alfie tried to calm him down, Derek smirked around. "_This is a nice way to build team spirit, in' it!_"

"_Listen, alright then._" Alfie nodded, looking despondent. "_We'll talk about it later, alright?_"

"_I don't think so._" Tyler told him. He wasn't in the mood to be running around playing football while Katy was locked up. Tyler couldn't even explain why he was so reluctant to take part without breaking his promise to his girlfriend's sisters.

"_No? Alright then. Let's talk about it now then, yeah?_"

Spotting the expression on Tyler's face, Derek stepped forwards. "_No, I don't think so, because me and Anthony were in the middle of a conversation, so you can jog on. Literally._"

"_Alright._" Alfie agreed slowly. "_Later. We'll definitely talk later." He turned to Andrew. "Come on, let's go._"

As his cousin left, Tyler sat back down in the chair behind the desk and tried to ignore the conversation going on between his brother and Derek. He could hardly miss that Derek was warning Anthony about not messing Alice about, but his mind was elsewhere.

"Caf, now." Anthony ordered. "You look like you could do with a coffee to wake you up and I need some advice."

Tyler sighed and nodded, locking up and following his brother to the café. Anthony bought the drinks while he sat at the table, fiddling with his mobile. He knew that there was no chance that Katy would ring him, but he wished she would.

"_How've I got myself into this mess again?_" Anthony sighed, setting the mugs on the table and sitting opposite his brother.

Sighing, Tyler shrugged. "_It's not like she's bad-looking._"

"_Ty, she could look like flamin' Tulisa for all I care, but the fact is she's got Derek Branning for a father. I just know how it's gonna go. I take her out, you know, try and make a clean getaway, she gives me the old puppy dog eyes and I've got to kiss her, ain't I? And the next thing you know I'm at the alter with Derek Branning with a shotgun pressed to my back._"

"_Listen,_" Tyler said with a smile, "_you're going about this all the wrong way._"

"_Oh, yeah?_"

"_Yes, you're assuming she's going to like you._"

Anthony looked confused. "_What?_"

"_Well look, I know it's a big ask, Romeo, but you gotta bring out the inner minger._"

Nodding, a smile spread over the older Moon's face as he considered his brother's words. "That might work."

"Course it will." Tyler shrugged.

"Is that what happened with you and Katy?"

Tyler's smile vanished in an instant. "You what?"

"Well the mood you've been in since she left there's got to be more to all this than Katy just going to stay with her Aunt, yeah? You've obviously had an argument about summit."

"We haven't."

"Well why are you acting like the world is ending, then?"

"I ain't!" Tyler argued.

"You are!" Anthony retorted instantly. He sighed. "Look, just go and phone her, right? Ask her to come back and talk."

For a moment Tyler wanted to punch his brother in the face or turn the table over or throw a chair through the café window. But he didn't. Instead he took a deep breath and stood up, leaning on the table and looking directly into Anthony's face.

"Leave it."

Without a backward glance, he stalked out of the café, slamming the door behind him and heading in the direction of the Emporium. He thought that Anthony had got the message that he wanted to be left alone, but the sound of footsteps and someone calling his name proved him wrong.

"Ty? Ty! Just tell me what's going on!"

"Anthony, I said leave it, alright?"

His older brother grabbed hold of his arm and forced him to turn around and look at him. "What is it?"

"How many times do I have to tell you to leave it?" Tyler exploded, his eyes flashing with anger. He raised his arm as though he was about to punch Anthony.

"Tyler?" Someone shouted.

His anger dissipated at once and he turned to find Roxy staring at him in horror. He sighed and glanced at Anthony for a moment.

"Enjoy your date." He said, turning and striding away.


	34. Chapter 34 Shirley

_**A/N: This is a short chapter, but I hope you enjoy it anyway :)**_

* * *

Shirley was far from pleased when Phil appeared with Ian Beale and informed her that he was going to stay with them for a while. She'd been all for Ben going to see him and trying to persuade Lucy to let him go home, but she didn't need the hassle of having him in the house. Apart from Katy's situation, the woman was preoccupied by the charity abseil she'd arranged to do. She wasn't sure which was a bigger weight on her mind at the moment.

Tyler and Jack had both threatened to quit the Vic football team, too worried about Katy's situation to concentrate on anything else. The teenager's brother-in-law had kicked off in the pub, shouting the odds about the football team. Shirley was glad for his sake that he had only gone off on one about the team and hadn't mentioned Katy at all. His life wouldn't be worth living if he had.

"We can't have Ian here!" Shirley hissed at her partner in the hallway. The man in question was sitting on the sofa on the other side of the door. "No one knows where Katy is! How can we keep that up if Beale's sitting at the kitchen table?"

"Trust me, Shirl." Phil ordered bluntly. "It's fine."

"It's not!"

He exhaled sharply. "Ian's staying, Shirley, so deal with it."

With that he slammed his way into the kitchen. The woman sighed loudly and headed into the living room. She looked at Ian for a moment. He was just staring in front of him, apparently not seeing anything. As far as she was aware, he hadn't said a single word.

"_We weren't expecting guests._" She told him awkwardly. "_You giving Brian Blessed a run for his money?_"

There was a long silence as Shirley tried to think of something to say and Ian stared blankly into space. She sat down in the armchair and folded her arms. For a minute or two she just watched him, tilting her head to one side.

"_Guess what I'm doing?_" She asked him at last. "_Abseiling down the side of the Vic. Me, who's scared of heights! Must be mad._" Shirley glanced at him apologetically. "_Well, no… not mad, but… must be something._" He still made no sign that he was aware she was there. "_I'm doing it for charity; for little George. You remember little George? Heather's little boy. Remember Heather, my best mate… who was murdered._" Glancing at the man, Shirley's eyes narrowed. There was something in his eyes that had changed, something she couldn't put her finger on. "_Ian?_"

"Shirl?" Phil called from the doorway. If she hadn't known better, she'd have thought he was panicked. "He said anything yet?"

She shook her head. "No."

"Right… well… Chinese for dinner?"


	35. Chapter 35 Ronnie

"Auntie Peg?" Ronnie called as she closed the front door, hanging up her jacket and dropping the keys into the bowl on the hallstand.

There was no answer, so the woman carried the shopping bags into the kitchen and flicked the switch on the kettle, watching as the water began to boil. Her Aunt had obviously taken James and Ruby out for some air. Ronnie was grateful; it couldn't be good for them to be cooped up in the house all day.

As she slowly unpacked the shopping, Ronnie's mind wandered onto the last she'd heard from Shirley. Ritchie had been to see Katy and told her about the new evidence for her defence. While she would have preferred everything in her sister's trial to be completely legit, Ronnie had to admit she was willing to try anything to see Katy come home.

It had been a day or so since her last update, so the woman pulled out her mobile and called her sister. Roxy didn't answer, so Ronnie hung up and waited a moment or two before trying again. This time her sister answered straight away, sounding as though she'd just finished running a marathon.

"Ron, sorry." She gasped. "I was in the shower."

"That's alright, sweetie, I was just wondering whether you'd heard anything else about Katy?" Ronnie explained, pulling out a chair and sitting down heavily.

"Nothing…" The younger woman sighed. "I think Tyler's cracking up, though. He looked like he was about to punch Anthony yesterday. I reckon the only reason he didn't was because I shouted at him."

"Yeah, well, we're all missing her, ain't we? Ruby's not sleeping properly. She might be a baby, but she knows something's going on."

"Calm down. Ritchie's on the case and we've got witnesses now. Katy will be home by the end of the week and we can forget all about this. We can put it behind us and pretend that nothing's happened."

Ronnie was silent for a moment, wondering when Roxy had got so sensible. Perverse as it was, maybe this situation had been what the younger woman had needed to grow up. "You're right, Rox."

"I know." Her sister replied, sounding a little surprised.

"What else has been going on?"

"Ian's back. He's staying with Phil and Shirl but he looks like a right tramp. He must have had some kind of breakdown or something."

"Really? I thought he was staying with Peter?"

"Nah… he can't have been. He's got a beard and everything!"

Ronnie laughed. "Just because he's grown a beard doesn't mean he's a tramp. Think of Father Christmas."

"Father Christmas isn't real!" Roxy reminded her, laughing as well.

"Oh, shut up! You believed in him until you were fourteen!"

"I did not, you liar! I figured it all out when I got that make-up head thing I'd been nagging Dad about for months."

There was a slight, uncomfortable pause at the mention of their father, but then Ronnie glossed over it. "Oh, whatever! You were convinced that you could hear reindeer and everything!"

"Anyway, Veronica," Roxy continued, ignoring her sister's words, "it was you who told me he didn't exist. You ruined the childhood magic so don't even go there."

"Alright, alright!" She agreed laughing again. "I was thinking. We should throw a massive party for Ruby's birthday."

"I'll never say no to a party!"

Ronnie smirked. "I didn't think you would. But Katy will be out and it'll be our way of sticking two fingers up at everyone who's tried to ruin things for us; people who need reminding that you can't knock the Mitchells down."

"You're a Branning, remember." Roxy reminded her, cheekily.

"Once a Mitchell, always a Mitchell, Roxanne. And never forget it."

"I hope Katy's remembering that."

"I don't!" Ronnie said seriously. "Who knows how much trouble she'd be getting herself into at the moment."

"I think she can handle herself, Ron."

The older of the sisters laughed in disbelief. "You've changed your tune, aint ya? Last thing I heard was that you thought she wouldn't survive with all those murderers?"

"Yeah, well, the thought of her hanging out with a woman who knifed her boyfriend was a bit of a shock, init?" Roxy sighed. "But that Pat woman looked alright, didn't she?"

"The difference between her and most women is that she acted on her thoughts." Ronnie laughed. "So you think Katy's cut out to be a jailbird, then?"

"No! Course not!"

"I'm joking Rox." Ronnie told her, rolling her eyes. Then she remembered something. "Roxy… when I checked Katy's phone… I found a load of messages from Derek. It sounded like they were… I dunno… doing a deal or something. Has he said anything?"

"What? No… I don't go near him if I can help it."

"Ask him."

Roxy sighed. "What?"

"Ask him what Katy told him on…" She paused, trying to remember the date the text had been sent, "the thirteenth, I think?"

"The thirteenth? Ron! That was almost a month ago."

"Yeah, but from the messages it sounds like she told him something big. I doubt he'll have forgotten what it was. Something strange is going on. Check Katy's phone if you don't believe me."

"Look, I'll try, alright? But don't hold your breath. I doubt Derek will tell me. I'm not exactly his favourite person, am I?"

Ronnie laughed, despite how concerned she was about what was going on between her brother-in-law and Katy. "Just do your best, sweetie."

"Fine!"

"Look, I've got to go. Auntie Peg's back with the kids and I was supposed to have started dinner. Give my love to Amy and Jack."

"I will, give mine to Peggy and the kids."

Hanging up, Ronnie sighed and tapped her mobile against her chin for a moment, deep in thought. Then she heard her Aunt in the hallway, calling her and took a settling breath. Painting a smile on her face, she swept out of the kitchen, pretending everything was normal.


	36. Chapter 36

"Right." Katy said flopping down onto Pat's bed and grinning at her. "Look what I've got; swapped them with Bev for the promise of gin."

She pushed her hand down inside her top and pulled out a small clear bag. Inside it were half a dozen small pink tablets. Waving the bag at the older woman, Katy laughed.

"What the hell are you doing?" Pat demanded, leaping at her and snatching the bag out of her hands. "Have you completely lost the fucking plot?"

"WAIT!" Katy shouted as the woman made to tip the contents down the toilet. "I'm not going to take them. I've had an idea."

Pat paused. "Go on…"

"We plant the jellies in Bayliss' cell and we get the Julies to slip one into her tea or something at dinner time. Then we get Tina to let slip to one of the screws that she heard Bayliss talking about getting drugs in here. They'll spin the cells and bang." Katy told her excitedly.

"She'll end up down the block for a bit, but it won't solve the problem for long."

"There'll be a whole lot of cold turkey around here, though, won't there, with their dealer out of the picture?"

The lifer pursed her lips, considering it. "Alright, it's worth a try."

The teenager grinned. "No time like the present."

"You give this to the Julies and explain." Pat commanded, holding out a single tablet. Katy took it and pushed it under the band of her watch out of sight. "Go on then!"

Grinning, the teenager left the cell, heading down the two flights of staircases down to the ground floor. She made her way straight to the kitchen, looking around before ducking through the door beside the serving counter. There was no sign of the Julies, so she slipped through to the storage area.

"Oi, you two!"

Both women jumped at her voice. "Bleedin' hell!"

"I need you to do something for me." Katy said in a low voice, glancing around again. She pulled the tablet out from her watch strap and held it out. "Slip this in Beth Bayliss' tea."

"Why?"

"Someone's got to teach her a lesson."

The Julies looked at her. "Like Henderson taught you?"

"Course not. Pat's sorting the lesson part. No violence, I promise."

"If you're sure." Julie J sighed.

"Give it here." Julie S nodded, holding out her hand. She slipped the tablet under her own watch strap.

"Nice one Julies." The teenager grinned, winking and ducking back out of the kitchen.

x-x

Katy carried her tray to a table and sat down wordlessly. She made sure she was facing the serving hatch so she could watch what was going on. A moment or two later, Pat joined her, slipping into the seat opposite and giving her a small nod. From behind the counter, the Julies nodded as well. The teenager grinned as Beth collected her mug of tea and headed towards a table of her own with her tray.

"What you looking at, Mitchell?" She demanded as she passed.

"Dunno… I never was a fan of science fiction…"

"You watch your mouth."

"What? Are you gonna make me?" Katy snapped.

The woman looked her up and down before making a hissing sound, breathing through her teeth, and continuing her walk to her own table. Katy smirked triumphantly and took a sip of her own tea, glancing at Pat. She could see her friend watching the woman carefully and, as a smile appeared on the lifer's face, the teenager realised she must have taken a sip.

"You got Tina on board?" Pat murmured.

"I thought you were doing it?"

The older woman shook her head. "Shit."

"Don't worry." Katy muttered under her breath as a guard passed them. "I'll sort it."

As soon as she'd finished, the teenager cleared up her things and headed up to her cell to put them away. On her way back down, she bumped into Hollamby who looked her up and down with distain and sighed.

"The governor wants to see you."

"What now?" Katy demanded, angrily. "I'm getting out of here in two days! Why would I mess this up?"

"Who knows how your mind works, Mitchell?" Hollamby snapped back. "Come on, she's waiting."

Grabbing Katy by the arm, Bodybag pulled her through the gates and kept hold of her as she unlocked the gate which led to the corridor to the wing governor's office. As she waited for the guard to find the right key, the teenager glanced at Pat, the corner of her mouth turning up in the smallest of smirks. The older woman returned the look before standing up and leaving her table.

"Come on, you!"

"Alright, alright!" Katy told her, following the woman out of the wing. "Keep your knickers on."

"I've had enough of your cheek, girl!"

"Yeah?"

"If you don't give it a rest I'll have you down the block."

"Will you now, Miss?" Katy asked, arching an eyebrow.

Hollamby went red. "You know what I mean."

Katy just laughed, earning herself a sharp prod in the back. In no time they arrived in the reception area outside Karen's office. The governor's receptionist indicated for them to sit on the chairs beside her desk for a moment, while Karen finished the phone call she was making. The teenager smirked at Hollamby, leaning back in her chair and waiting to be called.

"You behave yourself in there." The guard hissed threateningly.

"Why? 'Cos she's head screw? Surely I should be extra difficult?"

Hollamby was about to reply, when the door opened and the blonde wing governor smiled down at them. "Katy?"

"You remember what I said, or you'll be on report, trial or no trial."

Katy rolled her eyes at the prison guard and stalked into the office, dropping into the chair in front of the desk and waiting for Karen to speak. The woman sighed loudly and moved to sit in her own chair, facing the teenager.

"You need to stop this, now." She ordered firmly. "The next time Sylvia tries to put you on report or send you to the block I won't be able to stop her without someone getting suspicious."

"Sorry."

"Yes, well… I wanted to make sure you were all set for Friday morning? Two more nights and then hopefully you'll be out of here."

Katy pretended to be offended. "Now I feel loved."

Karen chuckled. "You know what I mean. How are you feeling about the trial?"

"Much better." The teenager admitted truthfully. "My lawyer said they've found witnesses who'll say I couldn't have done it, so it looks like I'm sorted."

"Good."

"Listen, I've got some information for you, like I promised." Katy said quickly. "Drugs."

The smile on the governor's face was replaced by an incredibly serious expression. "What about drugs?"

"I heard Beth Bayliss on the phone. I'm not entirely sure what she was talking about, but I'm convinced she was arranging to have drugs smuggled in."

"When was this?"

"Tuesday morning."

Karen stood up and pulled a file out of the cabinet in the corner of her office. "She had a visit on Tuesday afternoon." The woman said, more to herself than the teenager. Then she turned and glared at Katy. "Why didn't you tell me before?"

"I didn't think anything of it until I overheard one of the girls saying something about needing a pick-me-up!" Katy told her defensively.

"Right… well, don't say anything to anyone and we'll do a cell spin tonight."

"What about piss-tests?"

The governor considered her suggestion for a moment, pursing her lips. Then she nodded. "Not a word to anyone, right? You haven't got anything you shouldn't have?"

"Course not!" Katy exclaimed defensively.

"Good."

She stood up and headed towards the door, deliberately talking shop as she approached. "Right, well Mrs Hollamby and Mr Jackson will accompany you to your trial on Friday morning. You'll need to be ready straight after breakfast, alright?"

"Yes, Miss Betts." Katy nodded obediently, earning herself a mistrustful glare from Hollamby who was waiting to accompany her back to her cell. "Thank you."


	37. Chapter 37

The plan had worked perfectly and Katy had leant over the railings, looking down from the second level to the ground floor as Bayliss was carted off to the block, screaming about being set up. Despite the fact that her cell had been turned upside down as the drugs squad had torn it apart looking for banned substances, Katy considered it a good job well done.

Friday morning arrived far too soon. The teenager had packed the night before to make sure she was ready to go straight after breakfast, although she couldn't eat much because she was far too nervous. The Julies and Tina had piled her plate up, determined that she'd get a decent last meal at Larkhall.

"You've got to eat your last porridge!" Julie J informed her seriously as the teenager turned her nose up at it.

"Or else you'll be back to eat it." Julie S added.

"But I don't like porridge." Katy told them.

Tina shook her head. "You have to! It's for luck."

"Alright!" She agreed, not having the heart to argue with them.

Taking the porridge to a table, she poked at it with her spoon, putting her chin in her hand and staring at the gloop. Even though she was looking forward to getting out, now that she had got her head around the fact that she was likely to get off, she had a strange sinking feeling in her stomach.

"You OK?" Pat asked gently, slipping into the seat opposite. "The Julies give you the porridge speech?"

"Yeah. I don't even like porridge."

"Here." Pat swapped the bowl for a plate of bacon and hash browns; the teenager's favourite. "I got extra."

"Cheers, Pat." Katy grinned at her.

Noticing that she still wasn't eating, the woman tilted her head to one side. "Nervous?"

"Terrified." She admitted. "What if they decide I did it?"

"You said you've got witnesses now, right? You'll be fine."

"I hope so."

"Katy?" A refined voice asked, easily recognisable as Phyl's. The teenager looked up to see the Costa Cons standing beside the table with their trays. "We just wanted to wish you luck today."

"Thanks, Phyl, Bev." Katy smiled as they walked away.

Before she knew it, Hollamby appeared beside the table telling her it was time to go. Taking a deep breath, Katy gathered up her things and said goodbye, hugging the Julies and Tina. Pat looked at her awkwardly for a moment and Katy didn't expect a hug off her, knowing that the woman disliked showing her emotions. The teenager was surprised when the lifer pulled her towards her and gave her a tight squeeze.

Katy was even too nervous to wind the guard up as she escorted her to the registration block to sort out the paperwork before they left. Karen smiled at her as she passed the office, a look that Katy returned weakly.

"It looks like you'll have to put up with me today, Katy." The governor said gently. "Mr Jackson isn't well."

Katy just nodded and allowed herself to be taken outside. Her stomach was flipping as the transport van drove towards the court. Hollamby fixed the handcuffs around her wrists as soon as Katy stepped foot out of the van, muttering about criminal tendencies and it being in the teenager's blood. Katy bit her tongue, knowing that making a scene was the last thing she should do.

As they walked through the halls towards the courtroom, the woman's words finally got too much.

"Shut up about my family. You know nothing about them, you stupid cow!" Katy almost shouted at her, losing her temper.

"Katherine Mitchell." A remarkably familiar voice snapped. "Manners!"

"Ron!" Katy called, a broad, beaming smile spreading over her face at the sight of her sister. She took in Ronnie's smart, black skirt suit and perfect hair and makeup. She smirked. "Who died?"

"You will if you don't reign in the cheek."

"Sorry…" The teenager muttered.

Katy glanced up and noticed the look of surprise on Hollamby's face. She guessed that she was shocked at how easily the blonde could control her. For a moment, the teenager considered shooting her a sarcastic comment, but knew that Ronnie would just tell her off and she didn't fancy being told off in front of Bodybag again.

"Come on, you." The guard said starting to walk further along the corridor.

"Katy?" Karen said, more gently.

Shooting a final look at Ronnie, Katy allowed herself to be pulled along by the prison officers on either side of her. She said nothing as the court officials went through the paperwork and explained how the trial was going to work. She didn't even say anything as she was led to the dock.

Glancing towards the viewing gallery, the teenager felt tears stabbing at her eyes as she realised that her whole family had turned out for her. Ronnie and Roxy were there, sitting in the front row with Jack, Tyler, Auntie Peggy, Aunt Sal, Shirley, Phil, Ben and Jay. In the row behind them Katy spotted Derek, Billy and Lola. They all shot her reassuring smiles, which she tried her best to return. For a moment she considered the fact that the only time the Mitchells turned out in force looking smart was when someone had died or was up in court.

The judge appeared and Katy was handed a Bible and a slip of paper. She swore the oath, before taking a deep breath and preparing herself to face the questions that were thrown at her.

"Miss Mitchell," Ritchie started, "where were you on the evening of Friday July 20th 2012?"

"I was in a house in Kensington with two friends from when I lived in Newport."

"Can you tell us their names?"

"Paul Turley and Nathan Parry."

"When you were interviewed by the police, you claimed that you'd been kidnapped by Mr Turley and Mr Parry." Ritchie said. "Why was that?"

Katy took a breath, wishing she didn't have to lie. She glanced towards her family, taking strength from their reassuring smiles. "We had an argument and I wanted to leave. I didn't have any way of getting home and they refused to take me, so I was stuck there with no way of leaving. When the police asked me about it, I was still really angry with them."

"And what was this argument about?"

"Money; Paul reckoned I owed him from a while back and when I reminded him that it was actually Nathan's brother, Dean, who owed him they got angry."

"And why would you owe Mr Turley any money?"

The teenager clenched her jaw. "I borrowed some money from him to survive when my Mam was ill. But then Dean offered to pay him back for me."

"Why was that?"

"He was my boyfriend at the time. I got pregnant and... he wanted me to have an abortion. He said that he would pay back the money I owed Paul if I agreed." Katy said, completely truthfully. She heard gasps from the viewing gallery and realised that she had never actually told anyone apart from Ronnie and Roxy about that.

"How old were you when you had the abortion, Miss Mitchell?"

"Umm… it was the month after I turned fifteen."

As Ritchie stood down, Katy briefly had time to wonder why she'd highlighted the abortion, before the prosecution started on her. She answered the questions, denying ever having been to the address in question or seeing the jewellery that had been found in her pockets.

Finally she was allowed to stand down and Ritchie called Nathan to the stand. Katy was returned to the dock, where she glanced sideways at her family. Ronnie sent her a reassuring smile while Roxy nodded.

"Mr Parry, is it true that you've known Katy for several years, starting when she lived on an Estate in Newport." Ritchie asked.

"Yeah."

"And what is your relationship with the defendant now?"

Nathan looked at Katy and smirked. "She's the mother of my daughter."

"No!" Katy shouted before she could stop herself, gripping the ledge of the dock so tightly her knuckles went white. "She's not yours!"

There was a furious muttering from where her family were sitting and the judge banged his gavel, calling for order. Katy chewed on her bottom lip, feeling the sting of tears in her eyes.

"So you were in a relationship with Miss Mitchell?"

"It wasn't exactly a relationship." Nathan said, his smirk even wider as he stared at Katy. "More of a one-time thing."

"And were you with Miss Mitchell on the night in question? Friday July 20th 2012?"

Nathan looked at Katy and she knew what was about to happen seconds before he opened his mouth. "No."


	38. Chapter 38

"And were you with Miss Mitchell on the night in question? Friday July 20th 2012?" The prosecution lawyer had asked.

From the satisfied expression on Nathan's face as he stared at her, Katy was under no illusions of what was coming. "No."

A gasp ran round the viewing gallery and Katy clearly heard Tyler's voice. "I'm gonna kill him."

After that, Katy couldn't concentrate. With that single word, she knew all her hopes of being found innocent had vanished. There was no point her sitting there and listening to the rest of the evidence against her. When they brought Paul out, she shrank back in the dock, refusing to meet his eyes. She could feel his gaze boring into her head, but she refused to look up. The teenager wasn't surprised to hear him back up Nathan's words.

"On the charge of Burglary, how do you find the defendant, Miss Katherine Mitchell?" The judge asked a long time later.

Katy didn't even look up as the foreman of the jury delivered their verdict. "Guilty."

"No!" Roxy shouted, standing up and leaning forwards. "She's not!"

"Be quiet." The judge ordered as Ronnie dragged her sister back down into her seat. She was so pale she almost looked grey. "Katherine Mitchell, you have been found guilty on the charge of Burglary. Taking into account that this is your first offence, although you do have a rather interesting criminal record for someone your age, I am sentencing you to twelve months imprisonment."

Katy thought she was going to faint. Everything began to spin and the light dimmed significantly. She heard a rustling and then a pair of arms caught her and gently lowered her to the floor.

Opening her eyes, she blinked several times and saw Karen's concerned face leaning over her. The wing governor smiled, evidently relieved and helped Katy to stand up.

"Come on." She murmured gently. Karen shook her head as Hollamby stepped forwards to put the handcuffs on the teenager. "She doesn't need those, Sylvia."

As they led her out of the courtroom and along the corridor towards the van that would take her back to the prison that she'd thought she'd seen the last of, the sound of running footsteps made all three women turn.

"Baby?" Ronnie stopped and looked at her sister, tears streaming down her face. Just behind her, Roxy appeared, sobbing loudly.

Katy sent Karen a look. With a sigh, the governor let go of her arm. The teenager flew at her sisters, wrapping her arms around them and crying. They returned the hug, holding onto her tightly.

After a couple of moment, Karen stepped forwards and gently prised them apart. "I'm really sorry, but we have to go."

"We'll appeal, sweetie." Ronnie promised her as they started to walk away. "This isn't over."

As they continued further along the corridor, Katy heard the rest of her family joining them, talking all at once. She could make out individuals; Auntie Peggy's angry protests, Lola's confusion, Tyler's panic. She wanted to curl up into a ball and bawl her eyes out. She'd been so convinced that she would get off, after speaking to her lawyer and now Katy realised that she'd been right to begin with. She was a Mitchell; there was no way anyone would believe she wasn't a criminal.

Just before they reached the doorway to the back entrance, a door to the left opened and two figures walked out, laughing. Katy recognised them at once and, taking her prison escorts by surprise, wrenched herself out of their grasp and flew at the men.

"If you go anywhere near my daughter I swear I will kill you!" She screamed, lashing out at Nathan. In a second she was being restrained, Sylvia holding her arms tightly behind her while Karen stood in front, trying to calm her down. "You dare touch her and you're a dead man! I promise I will hunt you down and kill you!"

"That's enough!" Shirley's foghorn voice shouted from the other end of the hallway, cutting through all the other shouts and warnings that were being aimed at the teenager.

Reluctantly Katy shopped shouting and fighting. "This isn't over." She hissed as she was pulled away through a door and bundled back into the transport van.

All the way back to Larkhall, Katy sat in numb silence. She didn't bother shouting or banging on the walls of the little transport cell; there was no point. When the van stopped, the teenager emerged, zombie-like and went through the re-registration and searches as though they were happening to someone else and not her. She didn't even rise to any of Hollamby's comments.

"You're lucky your cell on the 2's is still free." The woman griped, leading her back towards the wing. Katy's grip on her clear plastic bag tightened. "Although if I had my way you'd be straight in segregation for that little display after your trial. Just because things didn't go your way you can't go around making threats like that."

"I'll take over from here, Sylvia." Karen announced sharply, sending the woman a warning look.

Hollamby pursed her lips and looked far from impressed, but she nodded at her boss' order and headed towards the officers' room. Sighing, Karen unlocked the gate and waited for Katy to go through before her.

"I'm sorry." She said softly, reaching out and squeezing the teenager's arm. Katy barely seemed to hear her. "Was he the one you were talking about before? Your daughter's dad?"

At these words, Katy turned quickly, her eyes flashing. "I meant it, you know. If he goes after her I'll kill him."

"Not the best idea to make death threats in front of a prison governor." Karen pointed out with a weak smile.

"I don't care."

Karen sighed. "Come on."

As they reached the gate that led to G-Wing and the governor put her key in the lock, Katy grabbed her arm urgently. "I need to see Shirley. Please. It's really important."

"Well…" The woman said, looking at her carefully. "As long as you promise me you won't take out a hit on Parry, I'll see what I can do."

"I promise."

Nodding, Karen ushered Katy through the gateway and headed towards the next gate. The prisoners were on Association, milling around the area chatting and laughing. Their interest was caught by the sight of a new arrival and, as they realised who it was, a shout went up.

"What are you doing back here?" The Costa Cons chorused, leaning against the wall by their cell.

"Katy?" Tina shouted, totally confused. She came running over and put her hand on the younger woman's arm. "What happened?"

"Oh, darlin'!" Julie S murmured. "It's an outrage."

"An outrage." Julie J echoed, nodding fervently.

The teenager didn't reply, she just allowed Karen to lead her up the stairs to the second level. Glancing upwards, Katy saw Pat leaning over the railings from the level above. The woman sighed and stalked back to her own cell, slamming the door.

"I'll let you know about Shirley." Karen promised gently, before turning and leaving Katy to settle back into her cell.

* * *

_**A/N: Please don't kill me... I promise there is some good stuff coming up for Katy in prison! :)**_


	39. Chapter 39 Ronnie

Ronnie couldn't believe her ears. She didn't understand how they could possibly have found her sister guilty after hearing all the evidence. Beside her, Roxy was shaking violently and, before the older woman could do anything, she had leapt out of her seat, glaring furiously at the judge.

"No! She's not!" Roxy shrieked.

"Rox!" Ronnie murmured, pulling her back down and wrapping the younger woman in her arms tightly. She rocked her gently, stroking her hair.

"Be quiet! Katherine Mitchell, you have been found guilty on the charge of Burglary. Taking into account that this is your first offence, although you do have a rather interesting criminal record for someone your age, I am sentencing you to twelve months imprisonment."

Ronnie thought her world had just collapsed around her. She knew she should be furious, making threats against the men who had not only ruined her life but the lives of her entire family, but she couldn't feel anything. The truth didn't sink in until she saw Katy being helped out of the dock and disappearing down a couple of steps.

Pushing Jack away as he tried to comfort her, Ronnie rushed from the viewing gallery and made her way out of the courtroom. Desperately she looked left and right, trying to work out how to get to her sister. Ronnie's heart leapt as she spotted a dark-haired young woman, between two others almost being carried away.

Without a second thought about the fact she was wearing stilettos and a tight skirt, Ronnie sprinted along the corridor towards Katy, her tears falling freely. The three women stopped and turned at the sound of her footsteps and Ronnie was horrified at the almost dead expression in her sister's eyes.

"Baby?" She muttered, devastated.

As she looked at Katy, she felt Roxy crash heavily into her, slumping against her side. Her younger sister's sobs were racking her body, making her feel even worse. The blonde woman with Katy let go of her arm, giving a small nod and sending a look at the shorter, older woman on the teenager's other side.

Katy rushed towards her, hugging her tightly. Ronnie gathered both her younger sisters in her arms, holding them close and whispering that everything would be alright. She was used to being the strong one, holding things together and looking after people. Now it was more important than ever that she kept her head.

"I'm really sorry, but we have to go." The blonde guard told them softly, her eyes full of sympathy.

"We'll appeal, sweetie. This isn't over." Ronnie called after her sister, determination flashing in her eyes.

"Ronnie?" Jack called, reaching her side and sliding an arm around her waist.

"They can't do this!" Lola shouted tearfully. "I need Katy!"

"Don't be so selfish!" Roxy snapped back, her voice thick with emotion. "She's the one being sent to prison."

"Phil? Do something!" Peggy commanded.

"I never thought it would be that sister who got banged up." Aunt Sal informed them with a nod. "My money was on Roxanne."

"Shut up!" Roxy shouted.

"Everyone calm down!" Phil tried to order, but everyone was talking at once and no one paid any attention.

Ronnie barely registered the commotion from her family, watching Katy's progress along the corridor. It took a moment for what was happening to sink in. She realised who had emerged into the corridor just as Katy started shouting and fighting against her guards. Clutching onto Jack in fear, Ronnie tried calling out to her sister, but found the words were sticking in her throat.

"If you go anywhere near my daughter I swear I will kill you!" Katy was screaming.

Ronnie had never heard her sounding so angry. It was almost as though her sister was possessed. "Katy!"

Her shouts, and the shouts of the others behind her, were having no effect as Katy was dragged away from the men, still fighting for all she was worth. "You dare touch her and you're a dead man! I promise I will hunt you down and kill you!"

"That's enough!" Shirley bellowed from behind Ronnie.

She stepped forwards, partially blocking the teenager from Ronnie's view, folding her arms and fixing the situation with a firm glare. Katy stopped struggling and glanced towards the woman. The fury faded from her face, being replaced with the same dull expression she'd worn earlier. It almost killed her sister.

As Katy was led away, much quieter now, Ronnie slumped into Jack. He held her tightly, rocking her slightly and stroking her hair. All the Mitchells had gone quiet, shocked by what had just happened.

"You've got some explaining to do." Shirley spat, turning to Derek. Her eyes were flashing with fury. "I thought you said you had it covered."

"We did." He told her firmly. "Didn't we, Tyler."

Tyler nodded. "Yeah… they knew what they had to say."

"Well obviously you didn't have it as well covered as you thought." Ben snapped, helping Jay to keep Roxy on her feet. The blonde looked as though she was about to faint.

As it seemed a full blown fight was about to break out, Ronnie shook her head.

"This isn't helping." She muttered weakly. "None of this is helping Katy."

"We'll appeal, Ron." Phil told her firmly, pulling out his mobile. "I'll get Ritchie on it straight away."

The blonde allowed herself to be pulled out of the courthouse and put into the back of a taxi. She barely noticed anything until Jack positioned her on the sofa and pulled a blanket over her, commanding her to try and get some sleep. Ronnie didn't think she'd ever be able to sleep again; not until Katy was home, anyway.

Apparently, though, her exhausted body had other ideas and when Ronnie next opened her eyes the light was completely different. Confused, she sat up and rubbed her eyes before glancing towards the clock. It was ten o'clock, and Ronnie realised she must have slept for a full fifteen hours. Feeling guilty, she stood up and went to the bathroom, splashing water on her face and staring into the mirror.

She almost screamed as a face appeared behind her in the mirror. Her heart still thudding in her chest, Ronnie went to put the kettle on while Shirley sat at the kitchen table.

"I had a call from Karen." She said quietly. "Katy's asking to see me. D'you want to come?"

"Why hasn't she asked to see me and Rox?"

Shirley sighed. "Karen said she's in shock. She's not herself."

"Of course I'm coming. When?"

"This afternoon, two o'clock."

Busying herself with the kettle, Ronnie didn't look at the older woman. "Have we got anything positive to tell her?"

Knowing what the blonde was getting at, Shirley sighed. "Phil set a couple of guys on their trail, but there's nothing so far." She said gently. "He's going to break their legs when he finds them… that's if he doesn't break their necks."


	40. Chapter 40

There was a knock on the cell door and someone entered. Katy didn't bother to roll over on her bed to find out who it was. She just lay with her back to the door, staring at the brickwork in front of her.

"Katy?" The wing governor sat on the end of her bed. "You've got a meeting with Shirley and your sister, Ronnie, this afternoon."

This was good enough news to make the teenager sit up. "Really? Ronnie's coming too?"

"Two o'clock."

"Thank you!" She exclaimed, leaning forwards and throwing her arms around the woman, taking her completely by surprise. "Thank you!"

"I'm glad I've cheered you up." Karen laughed, rubbing her back soothingly. "Your friends will be pleased to hear that. I've had Tina bending my ear about you all morning."

"I should go and find her."

"Wait 'til lunch." The governor advised. "It's not long now."

Katy nodded. "Yeah, I will. Thanks."

As the wing governor left her cell, Katy leant against the wall and sighed. Her mind was whirling, as she considered the requests she was going to make when Shirley and Ronnie came in. Well, they weren't really requests; they were more orders.

When she'd come back the afternoon before, she had just dropped her bag onto the floor and curled up on her bed, refusing to eat or talk or do anything. Hollamby, in her role as Katy's Personal Officer, had tried threatening her into a response and even goaded her in an attempt to force her to react. The teenager had just remained motionless, curled up in a ball.

After speaking to Karen, however, Katy was much more cheerful. She leant over and opened the bag, carefully pulling out the book that contained her photos. Putting them up on the noticeboard she took a deep breath, before turning away and sorting out the rest of her stuff, making the cell look habitable.

"What happened?" A voice asked, making the teenager jump.

She turned to see Pat leaning against the doorframe. "I'm guilty, apparently."

"I thought you had witnesses."

"I dunno why I thought that would work." Katy snorted with anger. "Two sodding bastards I wouldn't trust as far as I could bloody throw them. When I get my hands on them I'll kill them. I swear on my daughter's life, they are going to pay."

"Men." Pat nodded, looking disgusted.

Katy smiled. "Yeah. I'm just lucky Tyler's alright."

"Good."

Shaking her head, the teenager gathered up her plates and followed the lifer out of the cell and down to the serving hatch. It was the first proper meal she'd eaten since the evening before her trial and she was starving. The Julies, taking pity on her, gave her an extra-large helping.

"Shame your back with us." Bev said as the teenager passed, heading to scrape her leftovers into the bin.

"We thought you'd be let off." Phyl agreed.

Katy nodded. "So did I."

"Mitchell?" A female guard called. "Hurry up, your meeting's in ten minutes."

She glanced at the time, not having realised that she'd taken so long over her lunch. Swearing, she hastily finished getting rid of her leftovers and carried her things back up to her cell, leaving them in the sink to deal with later. Grabbing her makeup, she hastily reapplied it, trying to make herself look half decent for Shirley and her sister. The more normal she looked, the less worried they'd be.

"Mitchell." Hollamby called, coming into her cell. "Get a move on."

"I'm coming." The teenager said, beaming at her.

The guard looked bemused, wondering why she was so cheerful all of a sudden. She stood aside as Katy moved past her onto the landing and they walked down the stairs and through the first gate together. The teenager paused and waited for the second gate to be unlocked.

As they walked towards the room set aside for meetings, Hollamby went through all the rules put in place for such occasions and Katy did her best to take them in. When she got to rule number 9, the teenager tuned out, rolling her eyes.

Settling herself in the chair, Katy rested her elbows on the table and waited for her visitors to arrive. She heard them, before she saw them. Shirley seemed to be ripping into Hollamby, the guard almost squeaking in indignation as she opened the door and pointed inside. The woman smirked at Katy as she entered, Ronnie on her heels.

Giving her a quick hug, Shirley stood aside so that the teenager could hug her sister. She turned and slammed the door shut in Hollamby's face, before sitting down and looking at Katy carefully.

"You alright?" She asked gruffly.

Katy nodded. "Yeah… it was a bit of a shock, seeing as I'd only just started believing I'd stand a chance of getting out."

"Making those threats was a bad idea." Shirley pointed out, leaning forward. "Phil's on their case. They'll regret crossing the Mitchells, I promise you that."

"I need to ask you a favour." Katy said quickly, glancing between her sister and Shirley. "I need you to get Tyler's name put on Ruby's birth certificate."

"Does he not get a choice about this?"

"Course he does." The teenager sighed. "But…"

"If Tyler's name is on it then that scumbag can't get to Ruby, right?" Shirley said, arching an eyebrow. Katy had guessed that she'd see right through her.

"Unless he demands a DNA test." Ronnie pointed out.

Katy shook her head. "Why would I agree to a DNA test? There's no reason to. He's nothing to do with her." She saw the expression on Ronnie's face. "Please?"

"I'll ask him, alright? That's the best I can promise."

"Thanks. And if he says yes do it straight away."

"I will."

"There's something else, as well." Katy said, pulling a face.

Her sister exhaled, looking exhausted. "What now?"

"A while ago… last month or something… I spoke to the Vicar at the Church. You know, that Reverend Stevens guy."

"You what?" Shirley demanded, looking as though she couldn't decide whether to be concerned or amused. "What for?"

"I wanted to get Ruby christened before it was too late. Lauren put the idea in my head." Katy explained. "I've booked her in for August 25th, just before her birthday."

"We'll phone him and explain. I'm sure he'll understand why we need to cancel."

Katy shook her head, grabbing hold of Ronnie's hand over the table. "No. I want you to have the Christening without me."

"What? No! Katy?"

"Honestly, Ron, it's what I want." She said earnestly. "Just… take loads of photos and get Jack to video it for me, right? Lauren and Whit are her Godmothers, so make sure they have plenty of warning to find dresses, or I'll make sure I stay in here. My life wouldn't be worth living if you sprang it on them last minute."

For a moment, Katy thought her sister was going to refuse. Then she sighed. "Fine. What about a Godfather?"

"Ask Ty… he'll probably ask Ant. Tyler will have to do the parent bits on his own. Invite everyone you think should be there… and make sure Auntie Peg and Aunt Sal go. Oh, and if you ask Alfie about a party at the Vic after… I mentioned it to him at the time and he said it should be fine."

"You're mad, you are." Shirley told the teenager, shaking her head. "Absolutely barmy."

"Tell me about it."

"Anyway, if we can get back to business? I've spoken to Ritchie." Shirley told her, changing the subject. "She says you'll be out in six months; less with good behaviour."

"With Bodybag on my case that's unlikely." The teenager pointed out.

Shirley smirked. "If you stopped pissing her off, she might leave you alone."

"I'm only doing what you told me, Shirl!" The teenager reminded her innocently. "Give the screws hell and remember you're a Mitchell. I think those were your exact words, weren't they?"

"Shirl!" Ronnie complained, rolling her eyes. "No wonder she's got a black eye."

Katy said nothing. "I didn't think you'd noticed."

"Of course I noticed, you little idiot!" Her sister snapped. "I noticed yesterday at the trial. What did you do?"

"Nothing… it was a misunderstanding."

"The same kind of misunderstanding as last time, you know, when Roxy and I came to visit you?" Ronnie reminded her.

"Look… this is prison, Ron." Katy told her seriously. "There's some stuff you just have to do to get through it."

"Leave her, Ronnie." Shirley said softly, looking piercingly at the teenager. "She can handle herself."

Ronnie looked between them and, for a long moment, Katy thought she was going to argue. Then she sighed and leant back in her chair looking far from happy. For the rest of the meeting, they concentrated on talking over the practicalities of Katy being locked up. It was decided that they would have to tell people the truth about where she was. There was no way anyone would buy the story she'd gone to stay with her newly discovered Aunt for at least six months without a word of warning and never coming back to visit the Square.

"Besides," Katy pointed out, "if Nathan or Paul do turn up on the Square the news that I'm banged up won't come as quite a surprise, will it?"

"If they turn up on the Square I'll be moving into the cell next door to yours." Ronnie spat.

"Don't you dare, Veronica!" Katy warned her, smirking slightly. "Ruby needs you to look after her."


	41. Chapter 41 Ronnie

All the way back to Albert Square, Ronnie stared out of the cab window, thinking about what they'd agreed and what she'd promised to do for her sister. Shirley headed back to Number 55, promising to round everybody up and get them to the pub that evening for the announcement. Ronnie decided that she'd need everyone there for support when she told them that her little sister had been sent to prison.

Before going to the flat, she went to see Tyler, fulfilling her promise. Standing on the doorstep, she waited nervously for the young man to answer. Seeing his red eyes and pale face, she pulled him into a hug and sighed.

"Katy wants a favour." Ronnie explained as Tyler handed her a mug of tea. He looked at her blankly. "You can say no, if you really want to."

"What is it?"

"She wants to put your name on Ruby's birth certificate."

There was a long silence as the news sank in. Ronnie wasn't sure what Tyler's response was going to be because he just sat staring blankly ahead of him. After a couple of moments, the woman moved her hand to cover his, squeezing it gently.

"Tyler?"

"Of course I… Is she sure?"

Ronnie breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, squeezing his hand again. "Being locked up has made her realise that Ruby needs two parents, instead of one."

"I don't think I can… you know… look after her on my own." He started, looking terrified.

"Don't worry; Ruby will live with us." The woman assured him quickly. "You can see her whenever you want, but I think it's best for her if she has some stability. Uprooting her is the last thing she needs."

"So… you're coming back to the Square? For good?"

She nodded. "We're going to tell everyone tonight, in the Vic. Getting the truth out, making sure everyone knows what really happened, will make sure there's less chance of rumours and speculation."

"I'll be there." He promised, nodding determinedly.

x-x

Ronnie had phoned Ritchie as soon as she'd left Tyler. The lawyer had been slightly taken aback by the request, but she'd promised to deal with it as soon as possible. Relieved that she'd managed to fulfil her promise, the woman headed off to pick up James and Ruby from Peggy's, before packing up their things to return to the Square.

"You ready?" Jack asked later that evening as his wife stood in front of the mirror preparing herself to go to the Vic.

She nodded. "Yeah."

"Come on, then. Roxy's going to meet us there."

They said goodbye to the babysitter, telling her they shouldn't be too long, before heading out of the flat. Ronnie took several steadying breaths as they crossed the Gardens. Outside the pub, she stopped, looking at her husband tearfully.

"If you can't do this, Shirl will." He reminded her.

"No." Ronnie shook her head firmly. "I'll do it. Katy's my sister."

He nodded and held the doors open for her. Ronnie walked in and went straight to the bar, ordering a white wine for herself and a pint for Jack. Draining the glass, she put it down and took a breath, indicating for Kat to refill it for her.

"You alright?" The landlady asked, arching an eyebrow at the speed the blonde had got through her drink.

"Fine. Just… had a tough couple of days."

"I heard you were off on holiday with your Katy?"

Ronnie shook her head. "Not exactly."

She turned away before Kat could ask any more questions. Her movement was just in time to see Jay, Ben, Lola and Billy entering the pub. Ronnie watched as they moved to sit with Phil and Shirley, who were talking quietly and both looking incredibly serious. Tyler was on the other side of the pub, sitting gloomily at a table with his brother and the girls. Only Roxy was missing.

"Alright?" Jack murmured in her ear.

She nodded. "As soon as Roxy arrives I'll get Kat to ring the time bell to shut them up."

It was ten minutes or so before her younger sister arrived. Ronnie was almost jumping up and down by the time the door opened and Roxy walked in with Christian. She looked pale and her makeup hadn't managed to cover up with dark circles under her eyes. Despite this, however, Ronnie knew she was trying her best to keep normal.

"Kat… can you ring the bell… there's something I need to say."

Evidently confused by the request, the brunette nodded and moved to the bell, ringing it loudly. "Shut up, you lot! Shut your gobs!"

The noise died down and Kat glanced towards Ronnie, causing everyone else to turn in her direction as well. Shakily, the woman put her wine glass down on the bar and took a deep breath. She glanced towards Roxy, who stood up at once and moved to her sister's side, taking hold of her hand.

"Yest– Yesterday we… Katy is…" Ronnie tried to get the words she needed to say to form a coherent sentence. It was more difficult than she'd expected. "The thing is… Yesterday Katy…"

"Oh my god…" Lauren shouted, standing up quickly and staring in horror. "Is she dead?"

"No, Lauren, she ain't dead." Jack told her quickly. "Sit down."

Ronnie took a deep breath and looked at the floor so that she didn't have to make eye contact with anyone. She decided that saying what needed to be said as quickly as possible was the easiest way. "Yesterday we were in court. Katy was accused of Burglary. She's innocent, but because of… reasons… she was found guilty and she's been sent to prison for twelve months."

A shocked silence descended on the pub. No one seemed to know how to react to the news. Without waiting for the inevitable questions to start being fired in her direction Ronnie fled from the building, the stunned silence still ringing in her ears.


	42. Chapter 42 Jay

Having Ian around was doing Jay's head in. As Phil and Shirley's engagement party crept nearer on Monday, the teenager found himself more and more agitated by everything. He had come down the stairs just after lunch to find Ben and Phil in the hallway, discussing Ian and the wedding. Ben was far from supportive, wondering why his father was so keen to marry Shirley now when things were so perilous.

"_We gotta move on… live our lives._" Phil was telling Ben firmly. He held out a ring box, showing the two boys the engagement ring he'd bought Shirley. "_Like it?_"

Jay looked at the ring, barely seeing it. "_Ian never got his wedding day, did he? Just a nervous breakdown and now we're locking him up. Not that I want to spoil the party or anything…_"

"_Were in this together, Jay._" Phil reminded him gruffly. "_Ben, you, Ian, Katy, me…_"

"_Yeah, but it's creepy me out, having him staring at me… having to pretend like everything's normal as well._"

"_Everything is normal; especially today, for Shirley's sake. Now don't you let him go wandering off again like you did yesterday, yeah?_" The man ordered. "_Don't leave his side. You got it?_"

Jay almost glared at Ben as Phil pushed past them and made his way into the kitchen, signalling that the conversation was over. He shook his head and stamped up the stairs, not wanting to be in the younger boy's company at the moment. There was nothing Jay wanted more than to speak to Katy, to hear her calm voice reassuring him that everything was going to be alright. But, unless she phoned him, that was impossible.

At least, he thought, she was oblivious to the tension on the Square at the moment. Katy was out of it all, not having to deal with the pressure of having Ian around all the time. Just the knowledge that the man knew the truth about Heather's death – whether he knew Jay and Katy were involved or not – was enough to half drive Jay mad.

When Phil and Shirley called up the stairs to say they were heading over to the Vic, Jay almost breathed a sigh of relief. Clearly they had come to the conclusion that Ian was better off avoiding the party and Jay couldn't say he was against the idea. He was worried that being in the pub with so many people fussing around him would made him panic and say something.

He was just thinking this, when his phone started ringing. Jay picked it up, for one mad moment thinking it might be Katy after all. But then he glanced at the screen and saw Shirley's name flashing at him. With a deep breath, he answered the call.

"Shirl?"

"Jay, you and Ben come over to the Vic. It ain't right us having an engagement party without you two. It's bad enough Katy ain't here." Shirley said. "So get here as soon as you can."

She didn't give him a chance to argue, hanging up before Jay could speak. He sighed in irritation, not wanting to do as she'd ordered, but knowing that it meant too much to Shirley to refuse.

"_Shirley's just called._" Jay hissed as he went into the living room and signalled for Ben to move closer. "_She wants us both over there now._"

"_We can't just leave him!_" Ben whispered, referring to his brother who was sitting on the sofa staring at the television.

"_Well if we don't go, Shirley's gonna get suspicious, ain't she? We haven't really got a choice. You'll have to bring him with ya, but stay right by his side, yeah?_"

Ben looked over his shoulder, reluctantly. Jay exhaled sharply and shrugged, moving to wait by the front door while the younger boy cajoled Ian into standing up and walking with him into the hall.

"Ready?" Ben asked his brother, almost as though he was talking to a child.

Jay rolled his eyes and opened the front door, walking ahead of the brothers towards the pub. It was almost as though he was trying to convince himself that he wasn't with them. He was the first to reach the Vic, but Jay stood aside to let Ben and Ian enter first, wanting to slip in behind them unnoticed. Jay knew that all eyes would be on Ian and he didn't want anything to do with it.

Phil turned as they entered, but Jay's attention was immediately caught by the large canvas in Shirley's hands. It was a picture of Shirley and Heather, obviously a present from someone. To Jay, however, it was like a kick in the stomach. They approached the couple slowly, Ben propelling Ian forwards and Jay following reluctantly behind.

"_Oh… Ian… Ian._" Patrick said sympathetically, looking at the man with concern in his eyes.

"_Ian._" Jean echoed. "_You came to the party._" She realised that his gaze was fixed on the canvas and smiled. "_Heather did too._"

Jay almost wretched at her words, horrified at the suggestion. For the first time he found that he was glad Katy was locked up in prison; at least it spared her being here and witnessing all this.

"_Here you go, buddy._" Alfie said, pushing a glass into his hand. "_Drink's on the house, alright? Welcome back to the Vic._"

"_You OK, mate? It's alright, Ian, you're amongst friends, ain't ya?_" Denise assured him gently. "_I know what it's like… it was like this for me, after Lucas._"

If all the attention wasn't too much for the man at the centre of it, it was definitely too much for Jay. He was fighting the urge to turn and leave; to run away and hide from all of this. It was only the smile on Shirley's face that they had come that was stopping him from acting on this impulse. That and the sadness that was evident in Ronnie and Roxy's eyes, even though they were doing their best to stay cheerful for the occasion.

"_He ain't ready._" Phil snapped gruffly. "_He ain't well._"

"_What am I gonna do with him?_" Ben asked. His choice of wording sent waves of disgust down Jay's spine.

"_Just get him out of here, get him home!_"

Shirley looked up, her face a mask of compassion. "_Oh just leave him. It'll do him good to be out. Look, come on, boys, you join in the celebrations, eh? Have a glass of champagne._"

Celebrating was the last thing Jay wanted to do, but it didn't look like he had much choice. Not without raising suspicious, anyway. He folded his arms and looked on stony-faced as Shirley turned about to her canvas and raised a glass in its direction.

"_To my Heather._"

Jay almost bolted for the door as a loud smashing sound broke the silence that had followed her toast. Ian was staring at the canvas as though he'd seen a ghost. And Jay didn't blame him in the slightest. As Jean bustled over with a dustpan and brush and started cleaning up, and Denise brought Ian another drink, Jay leant heavily against the bar, taking long, deep breaths.

"_I told you we shouldn't have brought him in here._" Ben hissed, moving to his side.

Jay glared at him. "_Don't pin this on me. I didn't know that was here, did I?_"

"_Alright, Ian?_" Phil asked, obviously working hard to stay calm. "Time to go, mate."

"_What? Over a dropped glass?_"

"_I want Ben to stay here._" Shirley said firmly.

"_Oh, come on Ian._" Alfie said cheerfully, moving round the bar towards his friend. "_Won't be the first or last glass smashed in the pub, will it? Listen, why don't you come and sit down… I'll make us a bit of lunch and you can tell me exactly what's been going on, alright? Have a little chat… me and my best buddy. Come on… I've got ya._"

Glaring at Ben, Jay wondered what was going to happen next. If Alfie got Ian to open up, they were in big trouble. Panicked, the younger boy glanced back, before turning his gaze to his Dad. Phil looked furious.

As Alfie led Ian over to a table, sitting with him and talking quietly, Jay perched himself on a bar stool, listening to Shirley's happy chatter. Music reached his ears from the jukebox and, with another jolt in the pit of his stomach, he realised where he'd heard it last.

"_Heather's funeral music._"

"_I, umm… well, I thought I'd play this in Heather's honour._" Patrick announced, looking at Shirley. "_Oh… Phil… you should dance with the lady._"

"_I… err… don't dance._"

Shirley nodded, pulling an amused face. "_No, I can vouch for that._"

"_Well, how about a speech, then?_"

"_Yeah, come on, Phil!_" Billy called. "_Let's have a speech._"

As everyone gathered, Phil shot the teenagers a look. Jay stood up and walked over to where Ian was sitting with Alfie and Jean, smiling and bending to speak to him.

"_Why don't we go home, eh?_" He offered, glad of the opportunity to leave himself.

"_Tell you what we'll do._" Alfie said standing up and sighing. "_We'll take him upstairs for a rest. I'll handle it._"

"_Oh, come on then, Phil! Come on and don't leave the lady waiting, yeah._" Roxy said, more impatient that usual. Jay glanced at her and saw that her usual spark, the party-animal Roxy who loved nothing more than an occasion like this, seemed to have vanished. Instead she simply looked as though she was going through the motions.

"_Well… today's about… about putting things right._" Phil started. "_Today's about doing something I should have done a long time ago. Shirley… well, she's been to hell and back, but we're going to put things right, now…_ We've had some tough times… and Katy not being here, I know, has put a slight downer on today for everyone, but she'll be back soon and we can put everything behind us and look forward." He said. Jay looked at his feet, clenching his hand into a fist. "_So, if you'd all like to raise your glasses… to Shirley._"

Joining in with the toast, Jay drained the glass he'd been handed and watched as Phil headed quickly through the doors behind the bar. Narrowing his eyes, the teenager stood and moved after him, entering the hallway just in time to hear the end of Phil's question.

"_Told him what?_" Jay asked, looking between the Mitchells. Phil set his jaw in a look of pure annoyance, while Ben almost looked as though he was about to cry. The truth hit Jay like a bus. "_You told him I'm in on it, didn't ya? He could tell anyone! You don't know–_"

"_Just shut up, Jay!_" Phil snapped. "_Shut up! I told the pair of you not to let him out of your sight, didn't I, eh? Ian? Ian!_"

As Phil began to climb the stairs, Michael appeared, closely followed by Kat and Alfie, with Tommy in his arms. Jay scowled at Ben, resisting the urge to leap and him and start punching every part of the younger boy he could reach, clinging onto the banister instead.

"_He's not well._" Phil explained hastily.

Kat shook her head. "_It's alright, Jean's with him. He's not alone._"

"_Phil!_" Shirley shouted from the pub. "_This is my engagement! I wanna see my fiancé!_"


	43. Chapter 43 Shirley

Shirley was triumphant as she headed back to the house from the Vic. She knew that Ben and, for some reason she couldn't quite get her head around, Phil were worried about Ian, but today was about her and Phil and their engagement.

She had been relieved when Ben and Jay had turned up at the pub. Celebrating without them didn't seem right. It was bad enough that Katy wasn't there with them and, at the thought of the teenager, Shirley felt a stab of pain. She wished she could do something more to help her, but she knew that between them she and Karen were making Katy's time in prison as bearable as they possibly could.

Putting her thoughts about Katy to one side, Shirley smiled around at her guests, throwing herself into the party spirit. Only when there was a loud banging on the door was her mood dampened. The blonde woman, crying and imploring Phil for help, instantly set Shirley on her guard. But more than that, it was the expressions on Phil, Jay and Ben's faces that made her uneasy.

"_You gotta help me, Phil, please!_" Sharon begged through her tears. "_I don't know what to do. I just don't know what to do!_"

"_Sharon, what is it? What's happened?_"

Shirley glared at her suspiciously, recognising the name and feeling a bubble of anger and frustration rising up inside her. "_Sharon?_"

"_I'm in trouble, Phil. I'm in real trouble._"

He sighed and moved aside. "_Just come in, yeah? Come in._"

"_I didn't know where else to go. I…_"

"_Look, you're alright, you're alright._" Phil assured her instantly, earning himself a scowl from Shirley. Ben and Jay were looking wary, not having any idea what was going on.

"_Sharon? Your ex?_" Shirley demanded.

Phil glanced at her for a moment, before looking at his son. "_Just get her a glass of water, will ya?_"

Billy appeared in the doorway to the living room, shocked as his gaze fell over the familiar woman in the hall. Phil ushered Sharon into the room, leaving Shirley to follow behind, glaring furiously at them both. Billy chatted away, introducing the various family members that the woman had never met, until Phil shouted at him to stop.

"_Just give us a moment, please, will ya?_" Phil asked, trying to usher everyone out of the room. "_Just give us a moment._"

Everyone dispersed, looking as though they didn't think much of this development. Ronnie and Roxy pulled faces at each other, before sending a glance in Shirley's direction. The older woman stared back at them, her anger evident in her expression.

"_This is meant to be our day, Phil._" She pointed out as soon as only the three of them were left in the living room.

"_Shirley,_" he started, opening his arms and looking at her imploringly, "_what d'you want me to do, eh?_" When she offered no answer, Phil looked down at the teary woman on his sofa. "_What's happened?_"

As Sharon explained her problem, about her son and her fiancé, Shirley listened suspiciously. She couldn't bring herself to feel as much sympathy for the woman as she should, knowing of her past with Phil. Sharon sat with her back to the other woman, focussing all her attention on Phil. Shirley glared at her as she spoke.

When, at the end of her story, Sharon broke down in tears, Shirley folded her arms. She couldn't help being annoyed, especially when Phil put his arm around the woman, rubbing her back comfortingly. She arched an eyebrow and scowled even more. Looking up at his fiancé, Phil shrugged, as though asking her what else he was supposed to do.

"Look… let's go and see if we can track them down, yeah?" He suggested gently.

Sharon nodded and they stood up, moving towards the door. Annoyed, Shirley followed them outside and watched as Sharon got into the passenger seat of Phil's car. She felt genuine sympathy for the woman's plight, but she still didn't want her anywhere near Phil.

"_Send someone else with her._" She requested quietly. "_Send Billy, she's not your problem._"

"_She's just a friend who needs help._" Phil assured her.

"_Well she weren't just a friend, was she, Phil?_"

He sighed. "_So? Trust me! You do trust me, don't you?_"

There was a slight hesitation as she considered her answer. Then Shirley nodded. "_Course I do._" Pulling out a ring box, Phil slipped a diamond ring onto her wedding finger and kissed her gently. Shirley smiled. "_I'll be waiting for you._"

She watched as they drove off, before turning and heading back into the house to grab her purse. Unable to stop herself, she kept glancing at the ring on her finger, smiling slightly. Then she headed across the Square to the Minute Mart.

"I'll have twenty of my usual." Shirley told Denise, pointing at the rows of cigarettes behind the counter. "Cheers."

"_So, he's traded you in for a younger model, has he?_" Denise joked, accepting the payment.

"_What?_"

"_Phil! I seen him with that dolly bird._"

"_Well how about that._" Shirley muttered, her good mood evaporating instantly.

"_Well I'd keep an eye on him, if I was you, grandma! It's hard to keep hold of a bloke when your teeth are in a jar by the bed. Oh, come on! Come on, I was joking! It was clearly a joke._" Shirley, far from amused by her words, just glared back and Denise abruptly changed the subject. "_Anyway, I called Carly… I had a word with her._"

"_Well, what did you do that for?_" Shirley snapped.

"_Well I just told her it's pathetic the two of you not talking… life's too short. Come on, Shirl, let bygones be bygones and all that._"

Shaking her head, Shirley scowled. "_Oh, I bet she loved you for that._"

"_Well, no…_" Denise admitted. "_But give her time, you know… she will._" When Shirley looked far from convinced, Denise smiled at her. "_She will, Shirl… eventually._"

"_We both know that that's not true._" The blonde snapped. "Besides, I've got enough on my plate at the moment with the boys and Katy… even if Carly doesn't need me, they do."

Denise sighed and shrugged. "_Well... she sent a lovely card. You can pop in later if you like. Shirley?_"

As the blonde stalked out of the shop, she passed Tanya in the doorway.

"_Oh, could you give Jay a message for me?_" The younger woman asked, but Shirley didn't stop to find out what the message was.

She didn't want to hear about her daughter from Denise. Shirley knew she'd screwed up where Carly and Deano were concerned. Katy and Ben and Jay were her second chance, she knew that. But the girl was locked away in Larkhall and the boys were growing more and more distant as time went on. She didn't understand what had happened to them, but something obviously had.

Making her way through the Square, Shirley spotted Ian in the gardens, looking towards his house. She noticed that Lucy and Bobby were just going in, neither of them looking at their father. Sighing, she wrapped an arm around his shoulders and gently led him away. Something had to be done about him; starting with a bath, a shave and a change of clothes.


	44. Chapter 44 Shirley

"_Alright?_" Ben asked as Shirley led Ian through the hall towards the stairs. He fixed the pair with a curious stare.

"_Yeah, I'm fine._" She assured him, turning to Ian. "_Wait there a sec…_" Leaving him standing at the foot of the staircase, Shirley went into the living room where Ronnie, Roxy, Billy, Lola and Jay were still sitting around. "_Come on, party's over._"

"_Ohh! It was just starting to get interesting!_" Roxy complained.

"_Shirl, you ain't got to worry about anything dodgy going on with Phil and Sharon._" Billy assured her gently. "_I mean, she's with someone new now, isn't she?_"

"_Didn't stop 'em last time._" Roxy muttered, earning herself a kick from Billy and a slap on the arm from her older sister. "_Ow! I'm just saying!_"

Shirley glared at her, stamping out of the room. She moved to Ian's side, taking hold of his arms gently and propelling him up the stairs. The man was staring at his brother, wide-eyed. If Shirley hadn't known better, she'd have thought he was almost frightened.

"_What you doing?_" Ben demanded, panicked.

Shirley looked at him, narrowing her eyebrows slightly. "_Well I'm gonna clean him up. This rough and ready look you got going on, it's not working. Go on…_"

Following him up the stairs, Shirley directed Ian towards the bathroom. Turning on the taps, she started to run a bath, before hunting in the cabinet for a spare razor. Leaving Ben to keep an eye on the bath, she popped out for a moment to find some clean clothes for Ian, returning a couple of moments later and sending Ben downstairs to fetch clean towels.

"Here…" She gently guided Ian towards the mirror and watched as he took in his appearance. "_Bobby probably didn't recognise you. To be honest, I hardly do. What happened, Ian?_" She asked, leaning forward and looking at him carefully. He turned slowly and stared at her. "_What was so bad that you wanted to leave everything behind?_"

"_Here you go._" Ben said, thrusting a towel at her and breaking the moment.

"_You help yourself._" Shirley told Ian gently, putting the towel on the sink and leaving the room, ushering the teenager out in front of her.

They went into Ben and Jay's room and Shirley sat on the older boy's bed, twiddling with her ring. She stared into space, thinking hard about the man in the bathroom. Ian was less than a shadow of his old self and Shirley knew that only something monumentally big could have caused the transformation. What it was, she had no idea, but she was determined to try and work it out, knowing that that was the only way they'd be able to restore Ian to himself.

"_D'you think something happened before he left?_" She asked Ben, although she was speaking more to herself than the boy. "_Something drove him away?_"

"_Why don't you give Dad a bell, eh? See how he's doing._"

"_You know, everyone said it was that little hussy that broke his heart._" Shirley continued, ignoring Ben's suggestion. "_But… it don't make sense to me. I mean, he had everything else, didn't he? He had family, money… and he still walks away._"

"_Don't you care Dad's off with his ex?_" Ben demanded.

Shirley turned to look at him, angrily, wondering why he was so keen to get her to phone Phil. "_It's called trust, Ben, and stop going on about it!_" She shook her head, staring into space once more. "_Nah… it must have been some sort of breakdown. Friend of mine had one of them at school… ended up doing herself in._" They looked at each other quickly, the same thought occurring to both of them at the same moment. "_He's been a long time in there, ain't he?_"

They leapt to their feet and rushed out of the room. Shirley banged on the bathroom door, calling out to Ian, getting more anxious as there was no answer. Relief flooded through the woman as the lock clicked and the door opened, revealing Ian. He was still sporting the beard and clutching the razor, looking lost.

"_Men._" Shirley smiled, almost fondly. "_Can't leave 'em to do anything on their own._"

"_It's OK, I'll do it._" Ben offered, grabbing her arm.

Shirley turned to stare at him suspiciously wondering since when had Ben been the kind of person to offer to do anything for someone else. "_It's alright, I can handle it, Ben._"

She closed the door on him, turning her attention to Ian. Gently she started to work on the beard, shaving it off carefully as he just sat and stared blankly at her. When she was finally finished, she rinsed off the razor and encouraged the man to stand and look at himself in the mirror.

"_Here… see? It's much better._" She smiled at him reassuringly.

As Shirley turned to leave, she felt Ian grab her hand and looked down to see their fingers intertwined. He squeezed her hand with his own and looked at her, pleadingly. The woman wasn't sure what he was trying to tell her, but she knew it was important.

"_Ian?_" She asked, rubbing his arm soothingly. "_Ian, I understand. I understand what it's like to run away when things get tough. I did it myself, years back. I ran away from my kids, Carly and Deano. I understand, Ian, but it doesn't solve anything. It's not the answer._"

Leaving the room, Shirley knew what her next move needed to be. Leaving Ben to keep an eye on Ian, she went out, crossing the Square and heading purposefully towards the B&B. Knocking on the door, Shirley waited impatiently for it to be opened.

"Hi…" She said quietly, smiling at Denise.

The woman smiled back, knowing why she was there. Showing Shirley into the living room, Denise moved to the mantelpiece and handed the blonde woman a folded piece of card. The words 'Baby Jimmy' were written on it, along with his birthday and weight. In the middle was the printed image of a tiny footprint.

Shirley looked at it, feeling as though she was about to burst into tears. If she hadn't been stronger, she would have done. Looking at that tiny footprint brought all her failures into sharp focus and she could barely cope with it.

"_Keep it._" Denise offered.

Glancing up, Shirley couldn't make sense of her words for a moment. "_Are you sure?_"

"_Here…_" She got to her feet and moved to the mantelpiece again. "_Here you go, keep all of it._"

Looking at the photographs of her grandson that Denise had just handed to her, Shirley felt as though if she hadn't already been struggling to stay in control she would have been now.

"_Next time you speak to her would you… j…_" She broke off with a sigh, thinking it was pointless. Too much time had passed and too many things had happened.

"_What?_"

Shirley shook her head. "_Nothing. Who am I kidding?_" She slammed the photos and the card down on the coffee table and stood up, moving quickly towards the door.

"_Shirley? Shirl! Wait!_" Denise ordered. For a third time she moved to the mantelpiece. This time she picked up a photo frame and held it out to the other woman. "_Here… it's the nicest one, I think…_"

The blonde's attention, however, had been caught by another of the photo frames on the mantelpiece which, until that moment, had been hidden from sight. Her mouth went dry and yet her palms were suddenly slick with sweat. As her mouth dropped open, she stared at the all too familiar photo frame and wondered briefly whether she was about to have a heart attack.

"_Shirley?_"

"_Where did you get it?_"

Denise looked confused. "_What? The photo?_"

"_The frame._" Shirley snapped pointing towards the mantelpiece. "_Where did you get the frame?_"

"_I don't know…_"

"_Where did you get it, Denise? Where did you get it?_"

Jumping as Shirley bellowed the question at her, Denise thought. "_OK… it was just… from Kim. I don't know where she… Shirl, you're scaring me!_"

Tears appeared in the blonde's eyes now, as she stared at the frame. "_It's Heather's… It's Hev's…_"


	45. Chapter 45 Tyler

Tyler stared down at the visiting order he had received to take Ruby in to see Katy on Tuesday. Since Ronnie had revealed to the entire pub that the Mitchell had been sent to prison on Saturday, he had found it incredibly difficult to get his head around the idea that she wasn't coming home.

Anthony and their friends had bombarded him with questions, asking whether he knew that she was in trouble and refusing to leave him alone. In the end Tyler had snapped, shouting at them to leave him alone and storming up to his bedroom, slamming the door behind him. He didn't want to admit to himself that things had turned out the way they had. When he was on his own, he could fool himself into thinking it wasn't true.

The visiting order in his hands was a stark reminder that that wasn't the case. There was no denying that his girlfriend was behind bars when he was looking at that slip of paper. He sighed and shifted Ruby in his arms, looking at the large gates in front of him. Part of him, a very large part, wanted to turn and run in the opposite direction. But he couldn't.

He was searched after being questioned. To Tyler it felt as though he was the one in prison, although he guessed that this was nothing to what Katy went through. Bouncing Ruby in his arms, he waited until the guards ushered him into a room and looked around.

Tyler spotted Katy at once. He was shocked at how normal she looked. The young man wasn't sure how he'd expected to find her, but the seeing her in the bright orange vest, holding out her arms and beaming broadly was a surprise.

"Alright, babe?" She asked, as though they'd just met at the Vic. "How are you?"

"Not great." He admitted, giving her a kiss and handing Ruby over. "How are you? Coping?"

"Me? Course." She laughed and tickled Ruby's stomach, making the little girl giggle. "So? Ronnie said she told everyone the truth in the Vic? Are you OK? Have people been going on at you?"

"Yeah…" He sighed. "Lauren and Whit aren't happy with you."

"Oh…"

"Not because you're in here. They're pissed off that you didn't tell them yourself. It's almost like they think you're on holiday or something."

"Hardly." She smirked, rolling her eyes. "Look, I'm really sorry, babe. I don't know why I ever thought we could trust those scumbags. It was stupid."

Tyler shook his head. "Threatening to kill them, though… I ain't ever seen you like that before."

"I was angry… But I meant it Ty, if they go anywhere near Ruby I'll make them pay."

"Is that why you wanted my name put on her birth certificate?" He hissed.

Katy blinked and narrowed her eyes. "Partly, but I reckoned you'd be the best Dad she could have. If she ain't got me, she needs someone else."

"Look…" He sighed deeply, reaching out and holding her hand across the table. "I love that kid like she was mine, alright, so of course I want to be on her birth certificate."

"But?" Katy asked, looking up at him as though she knew what he was going to say.

"But I don't know if I can cope with this."

"This?"

"You and me… only seeing each other in a crowded room with a table between us… hardly ever getting to speak on the phone and when we do it's only for a couple of minutes. It's difficult."

"I know…" The girl said nodding slowly. "I can see why it's so hard for you. All that freedom, being able to do what you want, when you want… not having people looking at you funny and treating you like you're a criminal… it must be terrible for you."

"Look, I just–"

"Just nothing, Tyler." Katy snapped. "You're still Ruby's Dad. She loves you and I would never do anything to spoil that for her, but you and me…" She shrugged. "I'm done here. I've got to look after myself now, sweetheart. You can do the same."

Tyler gaped at her. He couldn't actually believe that Katy had just ended their relationship so suddenly. Before he could say anything, though, the woman at the door called out and informed everyone that time was up.

There was nothing he could do but watch Katy saying goodbye to her daughter, kissing her all over her little face and grinning as Ruby laughed and tried to swat her away. The smile dropped from her face instantly as Katy handed Ruby over to him and watched as he stood up.

"Look after her, yeah?" She asked in a quiet voice as he turned and headed for the door. Unable to speak, Tyler just nodded.

Before he left, Tyler turned and looked back at Katy pleadingly. "Katy?" She didn't look up at his words, twisting her hands in her lap and pointedly ignoring him. "Babe, please?"

"I'm sorry, sir." The woman he recognised as being one of the ones who was with Katy at court said stiffly. "You'll have to leave now."

"Can't I just–"

"No, you can't."

With no choice, Tyler left. He allowed himself to be searched, before heading out of the prison towards the shiny Mercedes parked just outside. Carefully strapping Ruby into the car seat in the back, he got into the passenger side and glanced sideways at the driver. Ronnie smiled at him, but her face fell as she saw the expression on his.

"She dumped me, Ronnie?" He said, making it sound like a question. "Katy just dumped me."

* * *

_**A/N: I'm cruel and evil, I know, splitting up Tyler and Katy. Please don't hate me! :) **_


	46. Chapter 46

"You had a tiff with lover boy, Mitchell?" Hollamby asked as she escorted them all back to the wing.

"Mmm…" Katy muttered with a shrug, trying to project the impression that she wasn't bothered.

The truth was that she was bothered. She was so bothered she needed to get to her cell before she burst into tears. She knew Tyler wasn't strong enough to deal with her being in here and she couldn't expect him to try. It wasn't fair on him.

"Well, what do you expect? I doubt he signed up for a family with a con."

"D'you know what, you evil cow, I don't–" Katy started angrily.

"Mitchell." The woman snapped. "If you don't stop now you'll be down the block on a rule 47."

The teenager bit her tongue. She didn't want to go down the block so soon after being sent down and she definitely didn't want it to be because she'd been rude to Bodybag. There were far better reasons for being sent to solitary in Katy's opinion. She wasn't going to apologise, though.

"Back to your cell and cool down." Hollamby ordered Katy as they went back through the gate into the wing. "You might want to take his picture down while you're at it… I don't want you keeping everyone else awake crying over it at night."

Clenching her jaw so she didn't get into any more trouble, the teenager headed up the stairs to her cell and slammed the door. It rebounded and she aggressively shoved it again, hating the fact that she couldn't decide when she had privacy in this place.

"We couldn't help overhearing…" Julie S said, appearing in the doorway.

"Nah, we couldn't help it." Julie J agreed.

"What old Bodybag was saying… you and your Tyler had a bust up?"

Katy whirled around and glared at them. The women looked so taken aback by her hostility that she sighed. "We've had a break up."

"He's never chucked you?"

"What a scumbag! Chucking you just 'cos you've got sent down?"

"Men! You can't trust 'em!"

"No, Julies." Katy tried to explain with an even louder sigh. "I broke up with him."

The women exchanged a look as if they thought Katy had completely lost her mind. "Why?"

"Like you said, you can't trust men." She replied, not wanting to go into the real reasons. "You don't know the half of it."

"Try us, darlin'?"

"Maybe sometime… but not now."

"Well, what about your little girl?"

Katy glanced inadvertently at the photos on her noticeboard. "He's still her Dad, or as good as. Just 'cos me and him are over it don't mean he's gonna stop being there for her."

"Sounds like you had a good one." Julie J murmured.

"Be stupid to throw it away." Julie S agreed.

"Like I said, you don't know the half of it."

Obviously sensing that she wasn't in the mood for conversation, the women left, pulling her door behind them. It wouldn't close but at least it was better than it being wide open, Katy supposed.

Left alone in her cell, she stared blankly ahead of her. She had dumped Tyler for his own sake. Not being with her would make his life easier and, if anyone got the wrong end of the stick and thought that he'd broken up with her, she would put them straight. Somehow Katy convinced herself that letting him think that she didn't want to be with him anymore would make things easier for them both to handle. Well, that was what she would carry on telling herself, anyway.

x-x

During Association after dinner, Katy went to phone her sisters. She guessed that Tyler would have told them about their conversation and she knew that they would be suspicious about the circumstances. Knowing them, they wouldn't believe that she'd been the one who'd done the breaking up.

"Ronnie?"

"Hey, sweetheart, how are you?" Ronnie answered brightly. Katy knew she was putting on an act.

"I'm fine thanks. How are you? How are the kids?"

"Great." There was a pause and the teenager could almost picture Ronnie plucking up the courage to ask the question she was dying to ask. "Listen… Tyler told me about…"

"He told you we broke up?"

"Yes."

Katy closed her eyes and turned her back on the short queue behind her. "Did he tell you why?"

"I don't think he knows why, Katy. The poor boy doesn't have a clue what he's done."

"It's better this way, Ron." The teenager assured her firmly. "He wouldn't be able to deal with me being in here. I got sent down four days ago and he's already struggling. If he thinks I've gone off him then he'll get over it quicker, won't he?"

There was silence for a moment. "So you broke up with Tyler for his sake?"

For a moment she considered agreeing, but found it was easier to lie. "No. I broke up with him because I don't need the emotional baggage."

"But what if he finds someone else?"

"Well… I can't say anything, can I?" Katy pointed out. She paused. "Ronnie… You cannot say anything to Tyler. As far as he's concerned we're over and I've moved on, alright?"

"You can't just–"

"What? Are you gonna ground me, Veronica?" The teenager laughed sarcastically. "I think we're a bit past that, aren't we?"

"What has got into you?"

Exhaling sharply, the teenager squeezed her eyes closed and clenched the fist that wasn't holding onto the phone. "I'm trying to… Ronnie, I'm in here for like six months, right? When I get out if Tyler wants to we can pick up where we left off. But I don't want him to sit around waiting for me."

"Are you thinking of doing something stupid?" Ronnie asked slowly, sounding suspicious.

"Stupid?"

"Yeah… We've got Ritchie working on your appeal, but you sound like you're resigned to staying in there for at least six months."

"I'm just being realistic. I got my hopes up last time and you saw how that worked out." Katy reminded her. "Can you honestly promise me that the appeal will be different?" When Ronnie didn't answer, the teenager understood. "So I need you to promise that you'll make sure Tyler gets on with his life."

"And what about Ruby?"

"He's still her Dad as far as I'm concerned, so I still want you to make sure he's put on the birth certificate."

"Right…"

"So," Katy decided to try and change the subject before they got into a proper argument, "what's been going on at home?"

"Phil and Shirl are engaged–"

"You what?" The teenager could barely believe it.

"Yeah, when Shirl was on the Vic doing her charity thing for little George, she proposed. They had a party on the Vic on Monday. You were mentioned."

"I was?"

Ronnie chuckled softly. "They said something about your absence putting a downer on the day."

Katy laughed too. "Nice to know I'm missed."

"Yeah, but it's never a Mitchell party without some excitement, is it? D'you remember hearing about Sharon?"

"Who?"

"She used to be married to Grant, but she had an affair with Phil." Ronnie informed her. Katy stayed silent, not having any recollection of the woman. "She turned up on the doorstep after doing a runner from her own wedding."

"Jesus! I bet Shirl was thrilled about that."

"She wasn't happy at all… especially when Phil went off with Sharon to help her track down her son."

Katy sighed as she caught the eye of the woman waiting for the phone, not wanting to end the conversation there. She nodded anyway. "I don't blame her. Listen, I've got to go. Give my love to everyone. Laters, Ron."

"Wait, Katy, I need to tell you–" Her sister started, but Katy wasn't listening. She hung up quickly as she always did. Hearing her family and friends saying goodbye at the end of the phone call was something that she'd rather avoid. It felt too final.


	47. Chapter 47

"Mitchell? Post." One of the guards, Parkinson, called. He tossed her a couple of envelopes. "Someone's popular today."

"Thanks, sir." She replied hurried, jogging up the staircase and closing her cell door behind her.

Lying on her bed, she glanced at the envelopes. One was written in Lauren's handwriting and the other she didn't recognise. Seeing as the screws had already checked the letters, she didn't need to slit the top, just slide the paper out and unfold it. In the envelope from Lauren were three sheets of paper; one from Lauren, one from Whitney and the third from Tanya.

_Oi, Mitchell,_

_What the hell happened to you? You're in Richmond with your Auntie Hazel, eh? Very funny! Ronnie made an announcement in the Vic in front of everyone. I honestly thought she was gonna say you were dead, the way she was building it up!_

_But prison? Jesus, Katy, what's going on? I asked Uncle Jack and he said you were fitted up or summit. He mentioned that your witnesses changed their stories at the last moment and lied to get you sent down. Why would they do that?_

_It's totally shit that you're not here. I could really do with you around at the moment. Ian's still looking like he's completely lost it. He went really weird at Shirley and Phil's engagement party in the Vic earlier._

_Anyway, what's it like in there? Have you made friends with a load of murderers and junkies? Are you sharing a cell with a tattoo-covered axe murderer called Slasher? You better write back, babe, 'cos I miss you already!_

_Love ya,_

_Lauren xx_

Katy re-read the letter a couple of times, smiling at Lauren's question about her potential cell-mate. Trust the younger girl to think of something like that. With a sigh, she unfolded the next sheet of paper.

_Hey, babe,_

_I actually didn't believe what Ronnie said for about three hours. I couldn't believe that you could have been arrested and sent to prison without us noticing. I feel well bad about it, Katy. I'm supposed to be your best mate and I didn't know what was going on. I didn't even notice you'd gone missing…_

_I believe that you're innocent, though. I know you way too well to think there's any way you could have done what they said. You wouldn't be so stupid, what with Ruby and everything. Is she going to live with Ronnie and Roxy while you're in prison? How long will you be there for? Ronnie said they gave you twelve months, but you can get out early for good behaviour and that, can't you?_

_Anyway, I hope you're OK. Let me know, right?_

_Miss you,_

_Whit x_

Before she thought too much about Whitney's letter, Katy decided to read Tanya's, hoping it would be less emotional. Then again, she knew how soppy her friend's mother could be and decided that it would probably make her more emotional than the other two.

_Oh, darling,_

_I couldn't believe what Ronnie said about you being arrested and sent to prison. For twelve months?! I actually had to double check with Jack and Roxy, just to make sure I wasn't hearing things._

_You have to keep your chin up, sweetheart. You and I both know that you're strong enough to get through this. Think about everything you've been through and managed to survive. I don't know how I would have had any chance of coping with the cancer if you hadn't been there to keep me sane when no one knew. _

_If there's anything I can do, just let me know._

_All my love, Tanya xxx_

Katy realised that she had been right. Tanya's letter was far more serious and emotional than the other two. It wasn't that she didn't appreciate it, but at the moment she wasn't in the mood for heartfelt, meaningful letters. Carefully she folded the three notes and put them back in the envelope, pushing that into her pillowcase out of sight.

The second envelope lay on the bed and she picked it up curiously, examining the handwriting. When she still didn't recognise it, she pulled out the contents. A couple of photographs fell out from their place nestled in the middle of the folded sheet of paper and she looked at them quickly.

Instantly she realised that the letter must be from Lola. She'd never seen her cousin's handwriting before, which explained why she hadn't recognised it. The photos were mainly of her baby, but there were a couple of Lola, Ben and Jay. Smiling, Katy put the pictures of the baby and Lola up on her noticeboard. She also stuck up the picture of the three teenagers. The photo of Ben and Jay, however, she folded in half so that only the older boy's face was showing.

_To Katy,_

_I thought you might like to see some photos of Lexi Billie, seeing as you ain't gonna get the chance to meet her properly for ages. _

_You're in the nick, eh? Just 'cos I got community service you had to go and do one better, didn't you? I'm joking. Pops said I should cross that out 'cos it's mean, but I told him you can take a joke and you'd know I didn't mean it._

_Pops says he hopes you're OK. So do we._

_Lots of love, _

_Lola and Lexi x_

The teenager shook her head, smiling and rolling her eyes. She could imagine the concern in Billy's eyes as he'd read what his granddaughter was writing and worried that she would take it the wrong way. Lola might be a thoughtless idiot at times, but Katy knew she wasn't vindictive.

Putting the slip of paper in the envelope with her other letters, Katy lay back down on the bed and pulled one of the photos of Lexi off the noticeboard to look at it properly. She was a very cute baby, Katy had to admit it. Briefly she wondered who the father was, but pushed the thought out of her mind. Lola was just another Mitchell single mother.

A thought suddenly occurred to Katy and she left her cell, leaning over the railings and looking down into the Association area below.

"Hey, Julies?" Katy called, spotting the two women chatting with the Costa Cons.

They slipped off the table and moved towards the teenager, realising that she obviously wanted a word in private. She headed back into her cell as the women climbed the stairs and settled herself cross-legged on her bed. Katy smiled at them and signalled for them to sit down.

"I need a favour."

Julie S sighed. "What can we do for you?"

"I need you to make something for me." Katy told them. "It's Ruby's birthday at the end of the month and I was hoping you'd make a dress for me to give her."

"What kind of thing were you thinking?"

"I dunno… something cute."

"She's got dark hair, hasn't she? Skin tone like yours?"

Katy nodded. "Yeah."

"I think we can manage that, sweetheart." Julie J nodded, looking excited at the prospect of a new project to occupy them.

"Thank you. I'll find a way to repay you." The teenager promised. She sighed and looked at the photos on her noticeboard. "I really miss her…"

"It's hard in here for us mums." Julie S murmured.

"Yeah, it's hard." Julie J agreed.

"I can't believe I'm going to miss her first birthday… and her christening. I arranged it for the Saturday before her birthday because I wanted her to be christened before she turned one. I never considered the idea that I wouldn't be there."

Not really knowing what to say to cheer the teenager up, the Julies simply gave her a hug and left the cell, pulling the door closed behind them. They glanced at each other, exchanging a look as only they could do.

Heading back down to continue their conversation with the Costa Cons, the women spotted their wing governor walking down the staircase from the 3's. Struck by a moment of inspiration, Julie S grabbed her friend's arm and nodded after the blonde woman. Frowning slightly, Julie J followed the shorter woman back up the stairs.

"Miss Betts?" Julie S called, attracting the woman's attention. "Can we have a word?"

Karen glanced at her watch and nodded, following the women into their cell and looking expectantly at them. "How can I help, ladies?"

"We want to apply for compassionate release." Julie S announced.

After sending her a quick look, Julie J nodded. "Yeah, compassionate release."

"What's the occasion?"

"Not for us, Miss, for Katy."

Looking between the Julies suspiciously, Karen folded her arms. "Why?"

"It's her daughter's christening on the 25th and she's gonna miss it."

"She's really upset, Miss." Julie J told her. "She keeps hiding in her cell."

"I don't think I can–" Karen started softly.

"Oh, please, Miss!" Julie S pleaded. "It would mean ever so much to her."

"Ever so much." Her friend agreed, nodding fervently.

"Katy's going to miss Ruby's first birthday, but if she could go to the christening I'm sure she'd be happier."

"Much happier."

Karen sighed, realising that the women weren't going to give up until she'd given them some kind of answer. She was sure Shirley would be incredibly touched to know that the Julies were fighting so hard for the teenager. On the other hand, Karen couldn't give in and agree to their request too easily. Either they would become suspicious over her giving special treatment to Katy, or think that she was a pushover.

"Right," She said decisively after considering their request for a couple of moments, "if Katy behaves herself for the next couple of days… well… I'll see what I can do."

"Really?" Julie S squealed. "Oh, Miss, that's fantastic!"

"Yeah, totally fantastic!" Julie J agreed, beaming happily.

"Katy's lucky to have friends like you two." Karen told them, smiling. "Just make sure she stays out of trouble, or she's not going anywhere."

"We will, Miss." Julie J assured her quickly.

Her friend nodded. "Definitely."

With a smile, Karen left the cell, hearing the two women chattering excitedly behind her. She couldn't resist a soft chuckle, thinking about their excitement on the teenager's behalf. Everyone needed friends like the Julies, she decided as she made her way towards her office to sort out the forms necessary for Katy's little trip, especially when they were in prison.


	48. Chapter 48 Ronnie

Lost was probably the word that best described Ronnie on Wednesday. She was trying to organise Ruby's Christening, even though she didn't agree with it. The woman couldn't understand why her sister was so keen for her daughter to be christened while she was in prison. In a couple of months, when Katy was released, they could celebrate together; it would be something to look forward to. But Katy was adamant that Ruby should be christened on the 25th, so Ronnie was currently on the phone to the printers, ordering invitations.

Roxy had been excited at the prospect of a celebration, but her sister knew that it was mainly because she was trying to forget that Katy wouldn't be around to enjoy the day with them. They were both trying to ignore everything that was going on with the rest of the family; something that was easier said than done. The younger blonde had spoken to Alfie and negotiated a deal on food at the Vic after the ceremony.

Tyler had been slightly taken aback when Ronnie had phoned him that morning and asked for his list of guests. She guessed that he'd assumed that, seeing as Katy had broken up with him, he wouldn't be invited. Patiently, Ronnie explained what her sister had told her; whatever happened between him and Katy, as far as the teenager was concerned Tyler was still Ruby's Dad and she would treat him as such for as long as he was willing to play the role.

So, after lunch Ronnie found herself ordering the invitations, ready for delivery the next morning. Katy hadn't given her much of a chance to prepare everything; she only had ten days to get the invitations, write them, deliver them and expect people to respond.

Lauren and Whitney had been excited when she'd tracked them down in the café and announced the news. At first they'd jumped to the conclusion that Katy would be going as well and had squealed with delight at the thought of seeing her. When Ronnie had patiently explained that the teenager wouldn't be attending the christening, their faces had fallen. They had, however, made it perfectly clear that they would be there for their friend's sake.

Walking back across the Square, Ronnie was touched at the two girls' support of her little sister. She had never really had friends like the three teenagers were friends. Ronnie supposed that she had always had Roxy and, even when they were arguing, she was the closest thing to a best friend the older woman had ever wanted or needed.

"Ronnie, sweetheart, I've got a message for you from Jean. In her official capacity as Events Manager, she wants to know if there's anything specific you want for the christening catering." Alfie called, popping out of the pub as Ronnie passed. "I know it's a while off, but you know what Jean's like… she's planning a theme and everything…"

Laughing and trying to make light of the whole situation, Ronnie assured the landlord that she didn't have any special requests. "Whatever Jean comes up with will be perfect, I'm sure."

"Ronnie!" The blonde hadn't got much further after stopping to speak to Alfie, when someone else called out to her. "Ronnie!"

"Hi, Tanya." She replied as cheerfully as she could. "You alright?"

"Yeah… listen, is it true what my Lauren just told me? You're having a christening for Ruby next Saturday?"

Ronnie nodded. "Katy demanded that we went ahead with it. Personally I think it's ridiculous."

"She can't come, then?"

"Katy's in prison, Tan, not on holiday." Ronnie reminded her sister-in-law.

"Yeah, course, sorry…"

"No, I'm sorry. I'm just stressed out with Katy and this christening to plan and looking after the kids…" She sighed. "Don't take any notice of me."

"Listen, anything I can do to help…"

Not trusting herself to speak in case she couldn't stop, Ronnie just nodded and smiled, heading away in the direction of her flat and intending to watch something long and soppy to keep her mind away from everything that was swirling around inside it.

x-x

"You're inviting Michael and Janine?" Roxy asked incredulously, reading their names on the list Ronnie had handed her.

The invitations for Ruby's christening had arrived in the post on Thursday morning as the man in the shop had promised. Ronnie had handed her younger sister the list she and Tyler had compiled and ordered her to fill in the names while she addressed the envelopes and put the cards inside them.

"Of course; we haven't got much choice. Michael is Tyler's brother, after all." Ronnie sighed, crumpling up the envelope she had just made a spelling mistake on. "Oh and add Scarlett's name to it, too. It's a nice touch."

"Janine doesn't deserve a nice touch." The younger woman muttered, doing as she was told anyway.

"She gave us Katy's mobile, remember?"

"Yeah… and?"

Ronnie sighed. "Just… stay away from her if you don't want to speak to her."

"But why?" Roxy whined. "Ruby's our niece, she's nothing to do with Janine."

"As I just pointed out, Roxanne, Janine is Tyler's sister-in-law. So whether we like it or not, we're tied to her."

"No we ain't."

"I'm going to slap you in a minute."

"I'm just saying…"

"Well don't!"

There were a couple of minutes silence where Ronnie ignored her younger sister's sulking. Roxy muttered under her breath as she went down the list. A couple of times she opened her mouth to say something, but thought better of it and closed it again. Ronnie looked at her in amusement and shook her head.

"What?" Roxy demanded.

"Nothing."

"No, what's so funny?"

"I was just thinking… every single Mitchell family event ends in drama. What could possibly go wrong this time? Surely that's already covered by Katy being banged up."

"Don't speak too soon, Ron." Roxy warned her. "We've got to make sure that scumbag and his creepy mate don't turn up to ruin things."

"Don't worry about them. With the entire family there I doubt they'd be stupid enough to put in an appearance, even if by some miracle they did find out that the christening is happening." Ronnie assured her firmly. "And if they do, the vicar will have extra work on his hands because I'll murder them."


	49. Chapter 49

On Thursday as she headed to morning work in the laundry, Katy felt someone pushing her violently from behind. She stumbled and flew headlong into the wall, cutting her forehead and almost knocking herself out.

"Up you get…" Mr Jackson said, gently putting his hands under her arms and lifting her to her feet. He quickly checked her over, noticing that she looked a little unsteady on her feet. "Right… let's get you to the M.O. and make sure you haven't done yourself any damage."

"I'm fine, sir." She muttered, stumbling slightly as she attempted to walk on her own.

"No you're not." He argued, pulling out his radio. "Sylv? Can you take over escort to laundry? Yeah… got one for the M.O."

As soon as the woman arrived to take over, she sighed. "I should have guessed. Who's she been winding up this time?"

"I tripped."

"I tripped, Miss." Hollamby corrected.

"You tripped too? That's a coincidence." The teenager muttered, putting her hand over the cut on her head with a wince. "And you don't need to call me Miss, Katy's fine."

"Come on, you." Mr Jackson said, barely concealing his smirk and whisking the teenager away before his colleague could speak.

He took her straight to the Hospital Wing, smirking even more as Katy's big mouth ran away with her during the doctor's examination. The Medical Officer rolled his eyes as she gave him a mouthful for putting his stethoscope on her chest to check her heartbeat. When he was satisfied that her health hadn't been affected by her bump on the head, he signed a release form and sent her back to the Wing.

"What happened, then?"

Katy looked sideways and arched an eyebrow. "I tripped."

"Yeah, right." Mr Jackson smirked. "You were pushed, weren't you?"

"No."

"Well, let's just see what the governor thinks."

"Why?" Katy demanded in annoyance. "I ain't done nothing!"

"I know. Someone pushed you."

"I said I tripped."

"And I don't believe you."

Katy exhaled sharply, but she didn't complain anymore as they headed away from the Wing in the direction of the Wing Governor's office. She didn't say anything as Mr Jackson knocked on the door and she was ushered inside. As the guard motioned the blonde woman over for a quiet word, he pulled the door almost closed so that Katy couldn't hear what was being said.

She sighed and leant back in her chair, folding her arms over her chest and waited for Karen to come back in. A couple of minutes later the door opened and the woman returned, moving to sit behind her desk. Karen leant forwards, fixing her with a serious look.

"Mr Jackson tells me that you were pushed on your way to the laundry and hit your head. He said that you could have done serious damage. Any ideas on how it happened?"

"Like I told him and Bodybag and the doctor, I tripped, alright?"

"No, it's not alright." Karen told her firmly. "How can I tell Shirley that you're alright in here if you're being bullied? Is it Beth Bayliss?"

"I'm not being bullied!" The teenager argued. "And even if I was, I ain't a grass."

"Really?" The blonde woman raised an eyebrow. "I thought part of our deal involved you naming names?"

Katy shook her head. "That's different. This ain't about drugs or… whatever. Besides, there ain't nothing to tell. I tripped."

Karen exhaled sharply, realising she was getting nowhere. "So… I spoke to Sylvia. Well, I overheard Sylvia. Apparently she's under the impression that you've been dumped."

"Is there absolutely no privacy in this shitting place?" The teenager almost shouted, balling her hands into fists.

"No, there isn't." The wing governor told her with a rueful smile. "Is it true?"

"Not exactly. He didn't dump me… I ended it."

"Why?"

"He's not as strong as he looks… he's dead soppy really. When he came in on Tuesday I could tell he was having a hard time."

"So you thought by dumping him it would make him feel better."

Katy glared at her. "If you must know, I was thinking of him. I don't want him moping around and feeling like he has to be put his life on hold and… mourn… that I'm in here. Anyway, what's it matter to you whether I'm single or not?"

"Well it doesn't, unless it means more work for my staff keeping an eye on you."

"What?" The teenager arched an eyebrow. "You think I'm gonna top myself?"

"No. I think you might decide that you've got nothing to lose. I think you might start living up to your idea of the Mitchell name, or Shirley's legacy. I think you might get yourself into serious trouble."

For a moment the teenager almost let her surprise show on her face. She hadn't considered that the woman would have enough insight to realise what was going through her mind. Now she thought about it, Katy realised that Karen had probably seen this coming from the moment she'd been sent back to Larkhall.

"Well… we'll have to wait and see." Karen continued when Katy didn't reply. "But there are only so many times and so many things I can protect you from."

"Right, OK, I heard you." Katy sighed. Then she stopped, realising that she was behaving like a cow. Shirley would kill her if she knew how she was acting towards Karen. "Sorry. It's just… getting my head around all this… being in here… I didn't need to be thinking about Tyler as well."

Karen nodded. "Fair enough."

"Besides, he's a bloke, ain't he? I'm in here for six months and he's soon gonna get bored of waiting around. Maybe I'm just sparing myself the pain later on." She wasn't sure whether she believed the words she had just said or not.

Katy knew that Tyler had a reputation and deep down she'd always wondered whether their relationship was too good to be true. He seemed too perfect, too attentive, too… nice. She wasn't used to being treated like that; especially by a guy. For a moment she wondered whether she'd made a mistake breaking up with him. Then she banished the thought. It was down to him now; his choice.


	50. Chapter 50

The second she was let out of her cell for lunch, Katy went straight to the four-bed dorm in search of Beth Bayliss. She knew that it had been her who'd pushed her and the teenager was keen to make sure the woman knew she knew it.

"Oi, you." She spat, pushing the cell door closed behind her. "I want a word."

"What, Mitchell?"

"You try a stunt like that again and I'll kneecap you, yeah?"

"You and who's army?"

Katy was about to reply that she didn't need an army, when the door opened and they both glanced up. Pat looked at them, her face a mask of annoyance.

"Oh, that army."

"I don't need Pat to fight my battles for me." Katy snapped, glaring at her friend and sending her silent signals to leave. "I can handle you myself."

"I ain't here to fight anyone's battles." The lifer said seriously. "I'm here to make sure there aren't any battles that'll get you into trouble."

She looked at Katy and nodded her head towards the door before turning and leaving. Katy set her jaw and glared at Beth for a moment.

"Watch your back, Bayliss." She warned in a low voice, before turning abruptly and leaving the cell.

Pat glared at her as she joined the line for lunch. Rolling her eyes, the teenager leant against the wall and sighed. She knew what was annoying the older woman, but she was refusing to acknowledge it.

"What?"

"You, picking fights! What's the point of it? You're just getting yourself into trouble."

"She started it!" Katy complained, knowing she sounded like a child.

Pat rolled her eyes. "This isn't the school playground, Katy."

As she stalked away, the teenager stared after her. Deciding she suddenly wasn't hungry after all, Katy slammed her tray back down on the pile. She carried her plates back up to her cell, dropping them on the table and throwing herself onto her bed. Her head was starting to ache and she assumed that the painkillers the doctor had given her were starting to wear off. Screwing her eyes closed, Katy turned on her side and curled into a ball, wishing that she could sleep away the time she had to spend in this place.

x-x

The voice in her head was coming in and out of focus, like a badly tuned radio. Katy sighed and tried to swat it away with her hand, clinging onto the last shadows of sleep. When she realised that she was fighting a losing battle, the teenager rolled over and opened her eyes.

"Bloody hell!" She exclaimed, sitting bolt upright and scrambling backwards.

Mr Jackson held up his hands and backed away quickly. "Sorry, sorry!"

"What the… what were you doing, leaning over me like that?" Katy demanded suspiciously.

"I was worried… well… I thought you might have had concussion after this morning."

"You stupid… screw." She muttered, rolling her eyes and sliding off the bed. "I was tired… do you realise how hard it is to sleep round here with that load of nutters shouting out at night? I thought trying to sleep with a baby around was hard…"

Walking over to the mirror in the corner of her cell, Katy carefully rubbed the smudges from under her eyes. She reapplied her eyeliner quickly. When that was done, she turned, leaning against the sink and folding her arms over her chest. Katy fixed the prison officer with a hard stare.

"Was there anything else you wanted?"

"If you've got somewhere else to be, Miss Mitchell, don't let me detain you." He told her, a small smirk on his face.

In spite of herself, Katy found that a smile was forcing itself over her face too. "Well, actually, I was going to have a late lunch with some friends before doing a spot of shopping and then going out for a drink or three tonight."

"I'm afraid there's a problem with your transport for this afternoon, so you'll have to rearrange."

Katy sighed theatrically. "Oh well, I suppose I can find something to do; perhaps an afternoon of folding sheets and ironing tea towels?"

"Followed by a slap-up meal of lasagne and chips and an evening of pool and gossip and picking fights with Beth Bayliss?"

"Is that's what we're having for dinner, then? Lasagne and chips?" Katy asked, dropping the make-believe scenario in an instant.

"Is Beth Bayliss who you've been fighting with?"

Looking at him for an instant, Katy gave a growl of disgust and stalked past the prison officer out of her cell. He tried to speak to her as she caught up with the others who were lining up for afternoon work in the laundry, but she ignored him and glared furiously at the floor instead.

"Mitchell?" Henderson called, striding towards her. "Miss Betts wants to see you in her office."

"Why?" The teenager demanded, immediately suspicious of the man approaching her.

"Your exam results are in."

Katy blinked at him, not having any idea what he was talking about. Gradually it dawned on her. With everything that had been going on over the last few weeks, she'd completely forgotten that today was A Level results day. She wasn't sure how or why, but obviously the results had been sent to Karen.

Suddenly nervous, the teenager followed the prison officer through the corridors. She kept her distance from the man, not wanting to get close enough to him for him to reach her. He stood in the gateways so that she was forced to squeeze past, clenching her jaw and ignoring his hands on her as she passed.

"Katy, come in." Karen smiled as Henderson knocked on her office door and opened it. "Thank you, Liam."

"I can't believe I forgot about my exams!" The teenager muttered, shaking her head. She was too nervous to sit in the chair in front of the desk, bouncing from foot to foot.

"Nervous?"

"This is worse than that pregnancy test." Katy joked.

Karen chuckled and held out a large manila envelope. Her hands shaking, Katy took it and opened the top, sliding the papers inside it out. She hesitated, her hand clutching the top edge of the paper and glanced at the woman in front of her.

"Can you look?"

"Me?" Karen raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

The teenager nodded and handed her results back to the wing governor. Pulling the paper fully out of the envelope, Karen glanced at the writing on the cover sheet quickly. She looked up, her eyes meeting Katy's and whistled.

"I didn't realise you were this brainy!" She admitted. Then a broad smile broke over her face. "Two A*'s, an A and a B."

Katy couldn't take it in. "What?"

"You got two A*'s, an A and a B." Karen repeated, holding out the papers.

Snatching them from her hands, Katy's eyes roved over the writing on the sheet in front of her. She couldn't believe what the woman had said until she saw it in black and white for herself; two A* grades in English Literature and Politics, an A in Geography and a B in General Studies. Now Katy did sit down, sinking into the chair in front of Karen's desk in total shock.

"Jesus… I never actually thought I'd manage to get A's, let alone A*'s… Ron and Rox will be so happy!"

"Why didn't you apply to University? You're obviously clever enough." Karen asked interestedly.

The teenager shrugged. "Never wanted to go. I was gonna drop out of school after my GCSEs, but Ronnie persuaded me to go back. Then I missed some time having Ruby, so I had to redo my last year. I was a year older than everyone else, but I didn't care. But going to University? No thanks. Until all this shit started I was running a club."

There was a pause as Karen considered her words. Katy could almost see the cogs turning in her mind. Then she smiled.

"D'you want to phone your sisters and tell them?" Karen gestured towards the phone on her desk. "Help yourself."


	51. Chapter 51 Jay

Jay stopped dead in front of the back gate. He looked straight through into the kitchen; both the back gate and the back door were wide open, yet there was no sign of anyone around.

"_What's wrong?_" Lola asked, leaning slightly to see what he was looking at.

"_I dunno…_" He muttered in reply, narrowing his eyes slightly as he took in the scene. Something was definitely wrong, but Jay couldn't put his finger on what.

Moving forward, Jay led the way into the house, looking around carefully for any sign that there was someone there. The house was completely deserted and yet the teenager couldn't spot any sign that there had been a break in of any sort, until they reached the living room.

"_Phil?_" Jay called out nervously, his eyes raking over the objects littering the floor. "_Shirl?_"

He moved to the pool table, trying to work out what all the pieces of paper strewn across it meant. He pushed the thick, black marker with his finger, narrowing his eyes in bemusement. The writing on some of the sheets was definitely Shirley's, but most of it just seemed to be random letters. Pulling a face, he turned away as Lola spoke.

"_Jay? Has there been a break in?_"

As she moved aside, a particular object on the coffee table caught Jay's attention straight away. All the colour drained from his face as his eyes settled on the photo frame that Ben had used to kill Heather. There was a photo of Denise and Kim in it now, but it was unmistakable as the weapon that had caused her death. Jay felt as though he was about to be sick.

"_Are you even listening to me?_" Lola demanded when she got no response.

As she moved to pick up the frame, Jay suddenly realised what she was about to do. "_Don't touch that._" He ordered quickly. "If there has been a break in, there'll be finger prints, won't there?"

"_Well… has anything been taken?_"

"_Dunno, I ain't looked yet._" He said, thinking of a way of getting rid of her. "_I want Lexi out of here now, though._"

"_Since when do you tell us what to do?_" Lola asked, laughing slightly and obviously not taking the situation as seriously as he was.

"_There might be someone in here, might'n there?_"

"_Yeah, and if there is you'll need all the help you can get!_"

Jay briefly wondered what good Lola though she'd be if there was an intruder, but he stopped himself saying it out loud at the last moment. "_I'm not joking, alright, get out!_"

"_Alright, fine!_" She snapped, obviously not realising that it could be dangerous. "_Deal with it yourself._"

Huffily, Lola left and Jay stared at the photo frame. He didn't understand what it was doing there, just staring at him from the coffee table. Whatever the reason, it obviously couldn't be good.

Rubbing his hand over his face Jay starting pacing the living room, willing his brain to start thinking of possible explanations and solutions. The house was empty and yet the frame was sitting on the table. Had Ben brought it home? Or had someone else found? Surely no one other than Ben, Phil and Jay himself knew for definite the part the frame had played in Heather's death.

Sitting heavily on the sofa, Jay couldn't keep his eyes away from the offending object. It was the same horrified fascination that caused people to slow down as they drove past the site of a car crash. As much as he wanted to look away from the photo frame, he couldn't.

When the sight of the photo frame in front of him got too much, Jay grabbed it and stuffed it behind the cushion beside him. He couldn't look at it anymore, but he didn't know what else to do with it. Just the mere presence of the photo frame was making him feel sick.

Looking up at the sound of footsteps, Jay was shocked to see Shirley in the doorway, staring at him angrily. At that moment he was sure that she knew the truth about the night her best friend had died. He didn't, however, know the full extent of her knowledge. Jay realised that he was going to have to wait for her to reveal her hand before saying anything otherwise he could land himself in more trouble.

"_Shirl! I don't know what's happened here._" He told her, looking around at the mess.

She didn't answer. Instead, Shirley walked past him, before turning and leaning again the door frame. She fixed him with a furious stare. "_Ben's gone down the police station… to turn himself in._"

"_What? What for?_"

Before he could react, Shirley reached out and pulled the photo frame from its hiding place, holding it up accusingly. "_You tell me._"

His gaze flicked between the woman and the object in her hands. Jay was lost for words. He didn't have any idea what he should say or not say. He was filled with an overwhelming desire to tell Shirley everything, but he didn't want to land them in any more trouble; especially Katy. The girl had tried her best to protect him and keep him from cracking up and now Jay wanted to make sure he did the same for her.

"_You know sometimes… when it hit me that Phil would never love me as much as I loved him… I knew it would be alright… 'cos I had Hev…_" Shirley told him slowly. Jay tried to block out her voice, feeling the unconscious stabbing of tears behind his eyes as she spoke. She dropped onto the sofa, as far away from him as possible. "_I could see us growing old together… when all the men had gone. And you do go… die or leave. We were gonna be like Laurel and Hardy… in our PJs, tucked up in a big double bed. No prizes for guessing which one was Hardy._"

"_Never knew which was which…_" Jay muttered, keeping his mind on things that weren't important.

"_Doesn't matter which was which._ _They were a pair._" Shirley told him after a moment's consideration. Her tone was soft and that in itself was almost enough to cause Jay's resolve to crack. "_Don't punish me anymore!_"

"_I'd never do that._"

"_Then tell me!_" Shirley demanded. "_Ben said that he did it, but I don't know… I don't trust him. Not like I trust you. I know that Phil has been working on you both… making you think that you're like Laurel and Hardy… like you're a pair. But you're not a pair. You are not like Ben._" She told him firmly, almost begging him to tell her the truth. Jay stared at his hands, fighting to stay in control. "_You're kind._"

Jay shook his head, his voice waving with emotion. "_Nah…_"

"_You've got a good soul._"

"_I haven't!_"

"_You've got a heart… you've got a heart that loves._"

"_I'm not!_" Jay shouted, finally giving in to his tears. "_I… I am a bad person! I am a bad person!_"

"_Just speak, Jay._" Shirley begged. "_Just speak!_"

He scrubbed at his face with a hand and looked around for something, anything, that would take him away from this situation. He was about to open up, to tell Shirley everything, when he heard the kitchen door open and Billy's voice could be heard. At once both he and Shirley leant back on the sofa, the connection between them broken. He could feel his fingers burning where her hand had touched his, willing him to talk to her; to let her in.

* * *

**_A/N: Hello darlings!_**

**_I just wanted to say thank you so much for reading and reviewing this! It really does mean a lot to know that so many of you are still with this and enjoying it! :D_**

**_x_**


	52. Chapter 52 Jay

"_Jay? You in there? If anyone's in there, I've got a baseball bat!_" Billy threatened. At seeing the two figures on the sofa, his hard expression was replaced by one of intense confusion. "_Shirl? Lola said there'd been a break in?_"

"_Nah, everything's fine._"

"_So I rushed round…_"

"_Yeah? Well now you can run straight back again._" Shirley snapped.

"_Jay?_" Billy said, not wanting to let the matter drop. "_Jay? You alright, son?_"

"_Jay, what is it?_" Lola added when the boy didn't look up, let alone reply.

"_He's fine._"

"_No, he's not._"

"_Look Billy, will you just go, please?_" Shirley exploded furiously.

He glared at her. "_I'm not going anywhere 'til I find out what's the matter with him._"

There was a long pause as everyone looked at Jay. He was trying not to cry, biting his lip and thinking hard. After a couple of moments he stood up and moved to lean against the pool table. Rubbing his hands over his face he took a long, deep breath and turned to face them. He jumped, not realising that Lola had crossed the room and was standing beside him.

"_What's wrong, Jay?_" She asked, rubbing his arm.

At that moment, her touch made his flesh crawl. He didn't want anyone near him, let alone giving him sympathy. He flinched, making her withdraw her hand. "_It's five minutes to your curfew, just get home, yeah?_"

"_He's right, Lo._" Billy agreed. "_You should get back._"

"_Well only if you come with me._" Lola argued stubbornly.

"_I ain't going 'til I get some answers._"

Jay caught Shirley's eye. Suddenly something inside him snapped and calmness descended over him. He knew what he needed to do. "_D'you remember the night Heather died, Bill?_"

"_Yeah._"

"_I had food poisoning._" Jay said, almost in a detached tone, as though it wasn't him speaking. "_I was upstairs and you came in._"

"_Yeah, you was in a right old state._" Billy nodded.

At his words, Jay's gaze flicked to Shirley and saw her eyes widen slightly. He didn't react, turning his attention back to Billy. "_You said I was your boy._"

"_Yeah… always…_"

"_And you'll always be like a Dad to me. And I'll tell you. I want to tell you, but right now… I need to talk to Shirley, please._"

Billy glanced at his granddaughter, who looked far from impressed. "_If they have to talk…_" They left the room, Billy hesitating in the doorway. "_I trust you._"

"_Oh you're so good at that._" Shirley almost hissed as soon as they were gone; her face as hard as her tone.

"_What?_"

"_The way you saw them off… just like you did at the table, pretending you had food poisoning. And Heather was dead in her flat!_"

"_It wasn't like that… they just pulled me along._"

Shirley leapt to her feet and stalked towards him furiously. "_You let me go over there. You let me find her!_"

Tears were falling freely down Jay's face and he looked at the woman who was glaring at him from a couple of inches away. "_Listen… I was gone. I was completely gone. They showed me a direction and I just took it._"

"_You got blood on your hands just like him!_"

"_Listen…_" Jay almost whispered. "_Heather wouldn't give him the money. I tried to stop him, but it all happened so fast, alright? I ran… I ran to the Arches. Ben and Phil turned up there, they said we were family. They said we were just like family, right. Now look! I've lost Heather… I've lost you…_ I've lost Katy_… I've lost absolutely everybody and I just can't get it out of my head._"

"_Yeah and I hope it never goes!_" Shirley screamed, grabbing his face and pushing him backwards onto the pool table. Jay didn't struggle as she shouted at him. "_I hope it stays in there forever._" Suddenly she let go and stood back, her face going even paler. "Wait… Katy… She didn't…"

Making a split-second decision, based on the haunted expression that had appeared in Shirley's eyes and his desire to protect his older cousin, Jay shook his head. "Nah, she didn't know."

"She gave you both an alibi."

"Katy said what we told her to say."

"But why?" Shirley demanded. "Why would she do that unless she knew you had something to hide?"

"We told her that there'd been a fight and a car window got smashed…" Jay lied.

While Shirley didn't look entirely convinced by his story, relief showed in her eyes and the boy let out a small sigh.

"_Police'll be here in a minute._" She said, turning away.

While her back was turned, Jay took the opportunity to wipe his eyes and gather his thoughts. He needed to somehow get the story he'd just told Shirley to Katy and the others and hope they'd stick to it. He guessed that Katy would take some convincing. She would probably hate the idea of letting him take all the blame for something she'd been involved in as well.

"_They're going to come looking for that._" Shirley spat, stabbing her finger towards the photo frame. "_You know Phil told me to get rid of it… asked me to protect you two._"

"_I thought Ben had already given himself up?_" Jay asked, confused.

"_Yeah, but without that he's just another lying kid… like he's always been._"

"_What are you gonna do?_"

Shirley narrowed her eyes, considering him for a moment. "I don't know." She admitted finally. "I owe Ben to hand this over as soon as they come knocking. But Katy will be in big trouble if I do. She lied to the police… She'll get more time than she's already got!"

Picking up the photo frame, the woman examined it closely, moving past Jay and leaning against the pool table. After a couple of minutes she turned back to face him, almost as though she was looking through the boy, rather than at him.

"_What it comes down to now is… whether I love you all more than I hate you all._" She said slowly.

"_If I'd have seen him pick it up, I'd have stopped him. I swear to you._"

"_She trusted you… she let you into her flat. The last time we were together we had a fight._"

"_So did we._" Jay admitted. "_Well… Ben did._"

"_So just before she died everyone was angry at her?_" Shirley snapped. There was a pause and tears sprang to the woman's eyes. "_The last words she said… what were they?_"

Jay shook his head, tears in his own eyes. "_I can't remember._" He admitted. "_I only remember the weird things… like the police in McKlunky's. I think about how big their hands were… they were just like my Dad's when I were little. I want my Dad…_"


	53. Chapter 53 Shirley & Ronnie

The knocking on the door and Jay letting the police into the house were almost too much for Shirley. She thought about whether she was making the right decision and changed her mind at least five times in a minute. The woman didn't want Katy to suffer more than she already was and, deep down, she knew that Jay wasn't to blame. But her anger and hatred towards Ben for taking Heather away from her was far stronger than her desire to protect the other teenagers.

She sat in silence as the police searched the house looking for the photo frame. Jay was sitting beside her, but neither of them spoke. They simply sat together and stared into space. After a while, Jay stood up and disappeared, coming back after several minutes and taking his place on the sofa once more.

Shirley glanced at him. "Where did you go?"

"Toilet." He muttered, not meeting her gaze.

The woman wasn't sure whether he was lying or whether he was just too ashamed to look into her eyes. Either way, Shirley didn't press him. They continued to sit in silence, listening to the police carrying out their search.

"_Shirley, I'm sorry about this._" DS Crisp apologised, appearing in the living room.

"_Yeah, course you are._" She agreed sarcastically.

"_Any idea why the object isn't where Ben tells us it is?_" He asked. When he was met with stony silence, he sighed. "_Jay, I'm going to need you to come down to the station._"

"_Why?_"

"_What d'you wanna talk to him for?_" Shirley demanded, her natural instincts kicking in.

"_Just routine._" DS Crisp answered immediately. "_If you'd like to go with one of my colleagues?_"

Shirley watched as the teenager stood up and left the room. She narrowed her eyes as the police officer shifted from one foot to the other, regarding her with a serious expression.

"_Why don't you and me have a little talk?_" He asked. When she didn't respond, he took it as consent and perched on the arm of the sofa. "_You know why we're here. Ben's confessed to murdering Heather. Must be a shock… assuming you knew nothing about it._"

Anger bubbled up inside Shirley and she almost exploded with fury. She barely managed to contain her feelings. "_What do you take me for?_"

"_Can't say I believe him… ending a life… it's profound… has profound effect. I can't believe he could just sit round a dinner table with you all and manage not to give himself away. He's too fragile._"

The police officer's remarks were the final straw. "_Don't let him fool you!_" Shirley snapped, standing up and stamping into the kitchen. She leant against the counter and took several steadying breaths.

"_So you think he did it? Why? He's just a little boy._"

"_He's never been just a little boy, has he?_"

"_My colleague, DCI Marsden, wants to do him for wasting our time, but I really don't think that's going to help._"

"_So you're just going to let him go?_" Shirley asked. Her heart sank at the thought of Ben walking free.

"_That's what we do with innocent people._"

Innocent people. Shirley wanted to burst out laughing or break down into hysterical sobs at these words. Everything was backwards and twisted and wrong. Katy was innocent and yet she was facing at least six months in prison, while Ben was guilty as hell and he was about to walk free. It wasn't fair and it wasn't right. But the only way to get justice would land Jay and Katy in trouble as well. Shirley was torn.

As DS Crisp turned to leave, Shirley heard herself speaking. "_What about Heather? She was innocent?_"

"_Come on… we've done all we can here._"

"_I said, what about Heather?_"

"_It gets easier, Shirley. I promise._" The officer said, coming back into the kitchen and looking at her pityingly.

This was too much for the woman. After a couple of seconds she finally finished the argument that was taking place in her head. "_You know there's only one way that this will get easier._"

Looking towards the washing machine, she knew that DS Crisp would follow her gaze and spot the object hidden inside the drum. He moved towards the appliance and opened the door, pulling out the photo frame wrapped in a tea towel. Shirley watched in disgust as he revealed the murder weapon, before lowering her eyes to the ground.

x-x

Ronnie had just settled herself on the sofa with a glass of wine when her phone started ringing. She grabbed it quickly, glancing at the screen. For a moment she was confused as to why Jay would be ringing her, but she answered cheerfully anyway.

"Hey, sweetie, you alright?"

"No, Ronnie, listen…" He replied in such a low voice the woman could barely hear him. "You need to get hold of Katy now."

"Jay?" Ronnie was instantly worried. "What's the matter? Why are you whispering?"

"It's the police… Ben's told them he killed Heather and they've come looking for the photo frame."

Ronnie didn't know whether Katy had told him that she knew about their involvement in Heather's death or not, but obviously Jay didn't care. "So?"

"I had to tell Shirley everything… when she remembered that Katy gave me and Ben an alibi, I told her that we made Katy lie. I said we told her we got into a fight and smashed a car windscreen, so she said we were with her so we didn't get the blame. I said she didn't know anything about the murder."

"That's stupid!"

Jay sighed. "I know, but it's better than her getting the blame for Heather's murder, ain't it! Listen… you need to tell her to stick to that story… I'll try and get Ben and Phil to do the same."

"That's gonna be easier said than done." Ronnie muttered, chewing her lip anxiously.

"If they won't, I'll tell the police they're trying to shift the blame or something." Jay said harshly.

Ronnie sighed. "Jay…"

"I gotta go… just tell Katy, yeah?"

As he hung up, Ronnie looked at the phone in her hand for a long time, wondering how on Earth she was going to pass on the message. Glancing at her phone, she saw that it was past eleven o'clock. There was no way that she would be able to speak to her sister tonight. All she could do was hope that she'd be able to speak to her before the police did.

"Ron?" Roxy called, poking her head around Ronnie's bedroom door. The older woman hadn't realised that she'd retreated in there during her conversation. "That film you put on is half way through… you haven't watched any of it."

"Sorry… I got distracted."

"You alright?"

"Fine." Ronnie nodded quickly, shooting her sister a smile.

Roxy narrowed her eyes and then shrugged. "Listen, I'm gonna pop over to Phil's with Billy… there's police there."

Panicking slightly, Ronnie whipped around. "I'll come with you. Jack can watch the kids."

Together, the three of them crossed the Square and let themselves in through the kitchen. Shirley was sitting alone in the living room, staring into space. Ronnie realised that she shouldn't know what was going on and hastily arranged her face into what she hoped was an appropriate expression.

"_Shirl? Shirl, what were the police doing here?_" Roxy asked as they entered the room.

"_Shirl, what you done to Jay?_" Billy asked. "_I knew I shouldn't have left him here._"

Ronnie shot him a withering look, knowing full well that Shirley wouldn't have done anything to the boy. "What's happened, Shirl?"

"_It's Ben._" Shirley told them harshly. "_Ben!_"

Roxy exchanged a look with Billy, while her older sister's eyes were glued to Shirley. "_What?_"

"_Ben's a murderer._" She said, finally raising her gaze to look at them. Billy sighed and Roxy laughed softly. Only Ronnie believed what Shirley had said and she moved to perch on the sofa beside her. "_That night… Jay said he had food poisoning. He didn't. He's just watched Ben kill Heather._"


	54. Chapter 54

On Saturday, Katy was sitting with the Julies and Tina during the Association time which replaced morning work at the weekend.

"I still can't believe them exam results you got." Tina muttered, shaking her head. "I never got nothing… you're like the cleverest person I've ever met."

"I'm not that clever." Katy shrugged, embarrassed. She hadn't intended to share her exam results with the others, but Pat had spotted the piece of paper with the grades written on it and made such a big deal out of it that everyone had heard. "Besides, I'm the only Mitchell with A Levels… most of 'em ain't even got GCSEs."

"If only my David weren't married, eh, Ju?" Julie S said with a grin. "They'd make a lovely, clever couple. We could get Katy in the family then."

"There's always my Martin." Her friend pointed out with a wink.

Katy laughed and was about to politely decline the offer of marriage to either of their sons, when she spotted Karen walking towards her across the wing. There was a serious expression on her face and Katy knew instantly that something was wrong. Ignoring the women around her, the teenager stood up and made her way over to the wing governor, meeting her by the gates that led to the eating area.

"What's wrong?" She asked hurriedly.

"You need to come with me."

"Why? Miss, what's happened? It's not Ruby, is it?"

Karen didn't answer. She took hold of Katy's arm and led her through the corridors towards her office. As soon as they were inside, the woman lifted the receiver of her telephone and dialled a number. She spoke a few words, before holding it out to the teenager. Confused, Katy took it and held it to her ear, wondering who she was speaking to.

"Katy?"

"Ronnie?"

"Listen, this has to be quick. I expect the police will be on their way to speak to you anytime now."

"What?!"

"Shirley knows how Heather died." Ronnie told her hastily. Katy's mouth dropped open in horror. "Ben let something slip and then he went to the police… listen, Jay's here. He can explain better than me."

The phone was obviously passed to the teenager, because it was his voice that Katy heard next.

"You remember that photo frame?" Jay asked, sounding a little lost.

Katy shuddered. "How could I forget it?"

"Well somehow it ended up at home. Ben told Shirley it was him and then he went and told the police everything. They came round looking for the photo frame."

"Jesus…" Katy murmured, realising how much trouble she was in.

"Listen… Shirley don't know you were there, K… I told her that you lied about me and Ben being with you, 'cos we said we had a fight and smashed a car windscreen."

The teenager closed her eyes, feeling horrible. "I said we were in this together, Jay. I can't let you take the wrap for it. It wasn't even your fault."

"Yeah and it weren't yours, either." He reminded her. "You tried to help her. Anyway, you're already banged up for summit you didn't do. I can't let you do any more time… you need to get out and look after Ruby."

"Jay, babe, listen…" Katy said softly, leaning forwards and closing her eyes again. "I lied to the police, didn't I? Even if I hadn't been there, it's still perjury, lying to the police, ain't it? It's illegal."

"Not as illegal as conspiracy to murder or whatever you'd get otherwise."

"Jay, I can't just–"

"Shut up! I ain't gonna let you get into more trouble than you need to." He snapped down the phone at her. "If it comes to it, I'll tell 'em I threatened you to lie."

"Don't you dare!"

He let out a long breath. "Fine, I won't. But you have to promise that you won't let on to anyone that you were there."

"What about Ben? And Phil?"

"Ben won't say nothing if he knows what's good for him. Phil's warned him… he doesn't want you getting into trouble for this."

"Why?" Katy was slightly confused. She would have thought that her step-brother would have done anything to protect his son; he usually did.

"He's losing it at the thought of losing Shirl." Jay explained. "He's seen how much Shirl cares about you and he's trying to protect you for her sake."

"You're kidding?"

"Nah…"

Katy couldn't believe that Phil would have done such a thing, but she was in prison with no way of knowing whether what Jay said was true or not. All the teenager could do was take his word for it. "Look, Jay… I really appreciate you trying to protect me, babe, but I can't let you. It's not fair on you. I promised I'd look after you, didn't I?"

"If you won't do it for me, do it for Shirley." Jay insisted quickly. "Finding out you played any part in this would probably kill her. She was gutted you couldn't be at the engagement party."

Against all her better instincts, Katy sighed and nodded, convincing herself that she had to do as he said. "Alright… I'll pretend I know nothing."

"Thank you." Jay told her and she could hear the sincerity in his voice. "Thank you."

"I dunno why you're thanking me, boy, it should be the other way round!"

There was a pause. "Look… I need to go."

"I understand." Katy told him. "I'll speak to you soon."

"Katy?" Ronnie's voice immediately cut in in case the teenager hung up.

"I'm here."

"Look… just stick to the story and… I can't say it'll be alright, but it'll be better than the alternative."

Katy sighed. "I know."

"I told Karen part of the story…" Ronnie explained quickly. "I told her basically what Jay told Shirley. No one else needs to know that you knew what Ben did, alright? From now on you have to make yourself believe that you gave the boys an alibi to keep them out of trouble over a broken car. You knew nothing about the murder."

"I understand." Katy nodded.

"Sometimes I think…" Ronnie trailed off with a deep sigh.

"What?"

"Sometimes I think we should have stayed in California. None of this would have happened, then."

Katy smiled wryly. "Yes, but then you and Jack wouldn't have got back together and me and Tyler… well… I'm glad we came back, even if things have gone a bit wrong lately."

"Lately?" Her sister laughed sarcastically.

"I'd better go, Ron." Katy said quickly, sensing the conversation was about to take an emotional turn. "Love you."

"Love you too."

Handing the phone back to Karen, the teenager was shocked at the expression on the wing governor's face. It was somewhere between disappointment and frustration. Katy had expected Karen to be angry with her; she wouldn't expect anything less. But the disappointment on her face was far worse than that.

"You do realise just how stupid you've been?"

Katy nodded. "I know. I didn't… I thought… I was trying to stop my idiot cousins being done for smashing a windscreen not… Jesus, poor Shirley." Katy was shocked by how easy she found it to lie about the alibi. It was almost as though she'd convinced herself that the car story was the truth.

"You'd better go back to the wing." Karen said gently. "The police phoned to say they were on their way."


	55. Chapter 55

_**A/N: I know that when Ben was interviewed they said it was Monday 13**__**th**__**, but I'm changing it so it fits better. So Ben, Jay and Phil were interviewed on Friday 17**__**th**__** and Katy was interviewed the next day. :)**_

* * *

As Karen retreated from the interview room and closed the door behind her, Katy turned her full attention on the police officers facing her across the table. They had set up a tape recorder ready to capture the interview, as well as having a notebook and a file open in front of them.

The teenager had been permitted a couple of moments alone with Ritchie before they'd come in. The lawyer had basically reiterated what Jay and Ronnie had told her; stick to the car windscreen story. According to Ritchie, Ben had refused to allow her to sit with him, but she had been with Phil during his interview and her step-brother had stuck to his original statement.

"Interview commencing at 10:11 at HMP Larkhall on Saturday August 18th. Those present are DS Crisp, DCI Marsden, Katy Mitchell and Ritchie Scott, Miss Mitchell's lawyer." The male police officer said. Katy vaguely remembered him, but she couldn't remember why. She recognised Marsden at once and fixed her with a hard stare. "Now, Katy, I'm sure you've been made aware of the reason we're here?"

Katy nodded. "Yeah… I can't believe it, though…"

"I'm afraid it's true. Ben Mitchell, has been charged with the murder of Heather Trott and Jay Mitchell has been charged with perverting the course of justice." DS Crisp informed her mildly. When Katy didn't respond, he tilted his head. "So… when you were originally interviewed about this case, you told us that… 'Jay and I got there' meaning the Arches garage owned by your cousin, Phil, 'first. He left the house looking upset so I followed him to make sure he was OK. We were just chatting and then he started working on the car.' Then you claimed that after a while, 'Ben arrived. We'd just heard that Phil was on his way home. I told Ben that he'd been an idiot. Then we just… hung out for a bit.' You ended your statement with, 'Phil turned up and started kicking off at Ben. Jay calmed him down and reminded him that Ben was family. They decided to move on and I persuaded Phil to let Ben come to the party at ours. Then we went home.' Is that correct?"

"That's what I said." The teenager agreed.

DCI Marsden fixed her with a curious look. "That's what you said?" She repeated. "What do you mean by that?"

With a sigh, Katy glanced at Ritchie, who gave a sharp nod. "Look… I didn't know Heather was dead. I never would have agreed to it if I'd known." Under the table, she pinched the skin of her thigh hard, punishing herself for the lie. In her head, she kept reminding herself that this was the only way she'd be with Ruby relatively soon. "Jay came back to the Arches in a state. He wouldn't talk to me for ages. Then Ben came back and they said they'd got into a fight over what Ben did to Phil…"

"Accusing him of murder?" DS Crisp clarified.

Nodding, the teenager continued. "They said they had smashed a car windscreen or something while they were fighting and they begged me to say they'd been with me if anyone asked. We didn't need any more hassle off the police and it didn't seem like a big deal. I wasn't particularly happy about it, but I didn't think anyone ever would… but then Heather's body was found. I never thought either of them were capable of killing her for a second, so I thought I might as well stick to the story. I don't know why…"

"So you gave them a false alibi?"

"Yes." Katy agreed quietly.

"But you deny knowing anything about Ms Trott's murder."

"Of course."

"You do realise that providing Ben and Jay with a false alibi is a very serious offence?" DS Crisp asked.

Katy nodded, glancing down at her hands. She listened glumly as she was informed that she would be charged with perverting the course of justice. The officers turned off the tape recorder and gathered up their things.

"At least that's something I did do…" Katy muttered in frustration. "Unlike the reason I'm in here at the moment."

"You were found guilty." DCI Marsden pointed out.

"Yeah, and I bet you were thrilled." The teenager snapped back. "But I didn't do it. What was it, an anonymous tip off? Did they give a description of me? Did they say what clothes I was wearing? Do you honestly think I'd be stupid enough to wander round the area where the Burglary took place in the same outfit and with the stuff in my pockets? I'm not an idiot!"

"So you're maintaining that you were set up?"

"Of course I was. And I know who by as well… those two bastards who stood in the dock and made me look like a liar."

"The two men who you previously accused of kidnapping you?" DCI Marsden asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Because they did!" Katy told her forcefully, ignoring Ritchie's attempts to interject. "I was told that if I said I had been there because I wanted to be, they would admit that I was with them. But they went back on it and now I'm stuck in here." She glared at the police officers. "D'you know the worst thing about it? When I was younger it would have been fair enough, because I did a lot of stuff I shouldn't have. But I didn't do this and yet I'm in here and I'm going to miss my daughter's birthday. Since she was born I haven't ever considered doing anything to risk getting into trouble, except the alibi thing."

DS Crisp and DCI Marsden looked at each other uncomfortably.

"Look…" The woman said after a moment. "What with Ritchie here defending you and the fact that you didn't know you were providing an alibi to cover up the murder, I'm sure you'll get a more lenient sentence."

"Yeah, but I'll still miss Ruby's birthday, won't I?" Katy pointed out in a low voice. "So what's the point?"

* * *

_**A/N: Hello lovelies! Thank you so much to everyone who's still reading this! And extra special thanks to people who review!**_

_**:D x**_


	56. Chapter 56

"Mitchell?" Hollamby barked at the teenager as she was lining up for her lunch later that day. "You need to come with me."

"This is harassment!" Pat snapped from her place behind the teenager in the queue. "Katy's always being dragged off and she ain't done nothing."

Katy narrowed her eyes, not in the mood for Bodybag's jibes. "What's it about?"

"You've been granted a special meeting."

"With who?" Katy demanded.

"You'll have to go and see." The woman replied impatiently. "I'm not your personal assistant. I'm not in charge of your social diary."

"Alright, alright."

Muttering, Katy followed the prison officer towards the gates and stepped through off the wing and into the corridor. She was led through the hallways to the room she'd had several meetings in since arriving in Larkhall.

Shirley was waiting in the room when Katy was ushered through the door and Hollamby closed it firmly behind her. Before the teenager could open her mouth to speak, the older woman moved towards her and engulfed her in a tight hug. For a moment, Katy didn't know what to do. She just rubbed Shirley's back soothingly and waited for her to let go.

"Are you alright?" She asked gently once they were seated at the table, cursing her stupid question instantly. She knew exactly what she was about to be told and Katy briefly wondered whether she'd be able to control her expression.

"Hev…" Shirley murmured, her voice cracking with emotion. "It… It was Ben, Katy! Ben killed Hev." There was a long silence as Katy tried to work out what to say. "Say something, Katy, please."

"I know… Crisp and Marsden told me earlier. I don't know what to say, Shirl." She admitted weakly. "I can't…"

"Can't believe it?" Shirley finished the sentence for her. Katy nodded slowly, looking at the table. "They told me you didn't know… but… you gave 'em an alibi, though… why?"

Blinking, Katy looked at her. For a moment she wanted to tell Shirley the truth, to admit that she'd been there when Heather had died. She wanted to tell her that she'd tried to stop Ben and she'd done what she could to wake Heather up. But then Katy remembered Jay's words about hearing the truth about her involvement killing Shirley.

"They said they'd had a fight and a car windscreen got smashed." Katy told her quietly, as though lowering the volume of her voice would make her words less of a lie. "It was really stupid, I know, but at the time I thought that it didn't matter… it was only a stupid car. And with Phil just having got back… I didn't think we could cope with any more hassle from the police."

"But it weren't a car."

"I know that now." Katy reminded her, tears springing to her eyes. She burst into tears, putting her head on her arms.

"Shhh…" Shirley murmured, moving round the table and rubbing the teenager's back soothingly. "It ain't your fault."

Immediately an immense sense of guilt settled on Katy's shoulders. She should be the one comforting Shirley, not the other way round. Sniffing, she rubbed at her eyes and sat up straight, taking a long, gasping breath.

"I'm really, really sorry, Shirl." She said after a moment, meeting the older woman's eyes.

"It ain't your fault." The woman repeated seriously.

"No, I..." Katy was struggling to keep the truth to herself. She couldn't bear to lie to Shirley after everything the woman had done for her. "Shirl, I... When… I tried…"

Shirley looked at Katy sharply for a moment. "Did they…? No… Jay said you didn't have a clue. After everything you've done for them boys and they go and do this to you…"

"Jay?" Katy interrupted quickly, pulling herself together. The look on Shirley's face when she'd briefly wondered whether the teenager knew more than she was letting on was enough to make Katy realise that Jay hadn't been exaggerating about the effect realising Katy knew would have on the woman.

"Course he bleedin' knew about it!"

"But… I can sort of see Ben… if he got really angry, I wouldn't put anything past him. But Jay? He couldn't hurt a fly."

"Yeah, well, that's men for you. Can't trust 'em."

"I thought you and Phil were engaged?"

Not answering the question, Shirley shifted slightly in her seat, before leaning forwards and looking hard at the teenager. "But what about you? You're looking good."

"Yeah, I'm alright, apart from being charged with perverting the course of justice." Katy agreed, taken aback by the almost urgent change of conversation.

"I've brought you in a few things." The woman told her. "They're being checked at the moment, but they ain't gonna find nothing."

Katy looked at her in confusion. "Like what?"

"I know you like a vodka or two and I know the bar ain't up to much in here."

"Eh?"

Shirley smiled properly for the first time since she'd been there. She leant forwards again and lowered her voice. "I brought you in an industrial sized pot of moisturiser and one of that conditioner you like. If you dig down into them you'll find a little handle. I put a fake bottom in the tubs."

"You're a bloody genius!" Katy grinned.

"Yeah, well, can't have you missing out, can we? Just keep 'em hidden from the screws though, right?"

"Course." The teenager nodded fervently.

They lapsed into silence again for a moment, each wondering what to say next. In the end it was Shirley who spoke.

"I don't want us to be awkward, Katy." She told the teenager seriously. "I need someone I can rely on."

This comment nearly destroyed Katy's resolve completely. Not trusting herself to speak, she simply nodded and reached out, clutching Shirley's hand across the table. As they sat in silence, the teenager reasoned with herself. She had tried to help Heather. Her death hadn't been down to Katy at all. There really hadn't been anything she could have done to stop it. The result would have been the same whether she'd been there or not.

These thoughts ran through her mind on a loop but, somehow, they didn't seem to bring her any comfort.

"Time's up, Mitchell." Hollamby said, opening the door and coming into the room. She seemed slightly taken aback at the pair of women, each with red eyes and eye makeup smeared down their cheeks. "You'll have to go, Atkins."

"It's Carter." Shirley snapped. "Shirley Carter."

"Whatever." The woman shrugged dismissively. "Whatever you're calling yourself these days you still have to go."

Shooting the prison officer a poisonous glare, Katy stood up and wrapped her arms around Shirley, burying her face in the woman's shoulder. Looking at her, no one would think Shirley was particularly huggable. But as she clung onto her, Katy didn't want to let go.

"I'll ring you, alright?" She murmured as they broke apart.

Shirley nodded. "Keep your chin up."

As Hollamby led Katy back to the wing, the teenager found that she was having to use all of her self-control to stop herself punching the woman in her smug face. Reaching the wing, Katy was handed the parcel Shirley had brought in for her and took it straight to her cell. She decided that she'd wait for lockup to investigate so that no one would walk in on her.

"What was all that about?" A voice asked as Katy closed the cupboard door on her package.

She turned to see Pat leaning in the doorway. "Shirl… it was family stuff."

"Your family…" The woman smirked, coming further into the cell and sitting on Katy's bed. "I thought mine were bad. Yours are… something else."

"Tell me about it." Katy sighed, throwing herself down on the bed beside her friend. "Always a drama with the Mitchells; weddings, funerals, birthdays… Christmas is the worst." A sudden realisation hit her and she turned to Pat with tear-filled eyes. "Oh my god… Christmas… I'm still gonna be in here, ain't I?"

Without knowing what she was doing, Katy suddenly burst into tears. Loud, violent sobs racked her body and she shuddered, powerless to contain her emotions. After a moment's hesitation, Pat slid an arm around her and drew the teenager into her arms, hugging her tightly. She rubbed Katy's arm, running a hand through her hair and rocking her gently.

"Well this is cosy, isn't it?" A sneering voice snapped from the doorway. "No wonder you broke up with your boyfriend, Mitchell."

"Leave it out." Pat snapped angrily. "She's upset, can't you see that?"

"Whatever."

"Just because she turned you down, doesn't mean she's gay." The woman pointed out. "It just means she's got a brain."


	57. Chapter 57

As soon as the prison officers locked the cons up for the night, Katy moved across to the cupboard where she'd hidden her package from Shirley. She pulled it out and sat cross-legged on her bed, ripping it open. As she unscrewed the lid of the large, one litre pot of moisturiser, Katy gently pushed her finger into it, pulling a face at the feel. After a couple of seconds, her finger hit a hard cylinder and she grasped it. Carefully she pulled the false bottom out of the tub making sure that none of the moisturiser was spilled and wasted.

Underneath the plastic circle that she removed there was a clear, carefully sealed, freezer bag. Pulling it out with a triumphant smirk, Katy opened the corner and took a sniff. The unmistakable sting of vodka hit her eyes and made her blink several times. Then she laughed softly and resealed it. Replacing the bag into the pot and putting the false bottom back in, Katy did the same with the pot of conditioner, grinning as she saw an identical freezer bag.

Leaving the second bag on her bed, Katy put the conditioner in the cupboard beside the moisturiser and settled herself at the head of her bed, leaning into the corner of her cell. She opened the bag and dipped her mug inside, setting it down carefully and resealing the bag. With a wince, she downed half the liquid in one gulp.

That mug of alcohol was followed by another and then another. By the time Katy was drawn out of her thoughts, it was dark in her cell and her head was spinning. Concentrating with all her might, the teenager stood up and carried the half-empty bag across the cell. She didn't think she'd be able to manage replacing it in the pot without spilling conditioner everywhere, so instead she concealed it between the clothes folded and piled in the drawer beneath.

When it was hidden, Katy threw herself down on her bed and cried herself to sleep.

x-x

The next morning Katy had a terrible hangover. Not having drunk a single drop in almost two months seemed to have lowered her resistance to the morning-after effects of alcohol. When her cell was unlocked with a bang, she winced and squeezed her eyes closed.

"You look terrible." Hollamby told her bluntly with absolutely no sympathy in her face or tone at all.

"I don't feel so great, either."

"Yes, well, breakfast... now."

Glaring at the door as the police officer walked through it, Katy threw her pillow in that vague direction. It bounced off the wall beside the door and lay there. Turning over, Katy covered her head with her arms and curled into a ball. Even in this position she felt like death only slightly warmed up. That thought made bile rise in her throat as the word death immediately made her think of Heather and she, in turn, sent Katy's mind racing towards her betrayal of Shirley.

"Hey?" A softer, male voice broke through her thoughts. "Sylvia said you didn't feel well."

Katy rolled over to face Mr Jackson, fixing him with a hard stare. He raised an eyebrow at the sight of her pale face and red-rimmed eyes. In a moment he had stooped to pick up her pillow, before he crossed the cell and perched on the edge of her bed, handing it to her.

"What's the matter?"

"I don't feel well." She told him simply, replacing the pillow under her head.

"What's wrong?"

"Headache, feel sick, can't be arsed to move."

He smirked. "Sounds like a hangover."

"Chance would be a bleedin' fine thing." She muttered, internally laughing at the fact his words had immediately hit the metaphorical nail on the head.

"Look, you stay here and have a rest. Try and sleep it off if you can, Katy." He suggested gently. "I'll get the Julies or Tina to bring you some breakfast in case you feel up to it in a while."

Katy looked at him, unable to shake her natural suspicion. "Why are you being so nice?"

Mr Jackson smiled at her. "We're not all 'bastard screws', alright?" He told her, drawing quotation marks in the air with his fingers as he spoke the words that he knew fitted some of his colleagues rather well.

"Thanks, sir." She muttered grudgingly, dragging herself up into a seated position, leaning against the wall.

"My pleasure."

"So? I'm assuming you have a first name. That is, if you're allowed to tell me, being the evil con that I am." She asked, arching an eyebrow.

"It's Matt."

"Matt Jackson, eh? How old are you?"

"22."

"Aww! You're just a baby screw, then?" She said with a grin. Then a pain stabbed in her head and she groaned, lying back down. "I think I might take you up on that offer."

Closing her eyes, Katy curled up into a ball again. She fought against the churning of her stomach and tried to drift back to sleep, hoping that when she woke up she'd feel less like her stomach was fighting against her.

x-x

"Katy?" There was a knock on the cell door and the teenager rolled over.

She smiled at the two blonde women, dressed in their kitchen uniforms. Katy felt much better after her lie in and she sat up, slid off the bed and moved past them. Grinning at their surprised faces, she pushed the cell door closed and opened her cupboard door.

"I've got a surprise for you, girls, courtesy of Shirl." She told them quietly, pulling out the half-full freezer bag.

"What's that?" Julie J asked, confused.

The teenager grinned and opened it, dipping her mug into the bag before holding it out to the women. Glancing at each other, Julie S hesitantly held out a hand, raising the mug and taking a tentative sip. A smile broke over her face and she handed the mug to her friend. Julie J beamed at the teenager as the liquid trickled down her throat.

"How'd you get that in here?"

"Ask me no questions." The teenager laughed. "It was a present from Shirley. She smuggled it in when she came to see me yesterday."

"Bleedin' hell she's good."

"Tell me about it!"

"Hang on… this morning… you had a hangover, didn't you?" Julie S demanded accusingly.

"Might have done." The teenager admitted. "It was horrible!"

"Well that's what happens when you drink alone, sweetheart."

"I should have invited you over for a night cap… shame about the lockup."

"Good point." Julie J admitted.

Katy grinned and held out the bag. "Look, you two have this… just don't do what I did. I reckon they'll get suspicious if you two come down with something tomorrow."

"You sure?"

"Course I am. I owe you for that dress you're making Ruby. Besides, you're my mates, ain't you? What's a freezer bag of vodka between friends?"

They all laughed as Julie J concealed the bag inside her apron.


	58. Chapter 58

Since Shirley had smuggled the vodka into prison for her, Katy couldn't seem to stop drinking. After she'd given the half bag that was left from her binge on Saturday night to the Julies, she'd opened the other bag and kept dipping into it.

The guilt of lying to Shirley was threatening to overwhelm her, but the teenager couldn't tell anyone about it. She had come very close on Sunday afternoon when Pat had popped in to see if she was alright after her breakdown the day before. Katy had been embarrassed about crying on Pat's shoulder and had done her best to avoid her, but her friend had been so sweet, telling her not to take any notice of Henderson and his shit, that she had almost blurted out the real reason she was so upset.

Then she'd realised that if she said the words, told the truth, it would be impossible to unsay them. It wasn't that she didn't trust Pat; she knew the older woman would protect her as much as she could. It was more that she didn't want anyone to know what she'd been covering up for months.

So Katy had hidden behind her casual attitude and said that she'd just been tired and in shock about the murder and her new charge, but she was alright again now. Pat almost definitely hadn't believed her, but she'd changed the subject anyway.

Prison was a place that was filled with secrets; that was something that Katy had learnt quickly. The cons had their secrets from the screws and vice versa. The cons had secrets from other cons and the screws had secrets from other screws. Everyone in Larkhall had their own secrets. It was a sort of equilibrium and breaking it would bring more problems than they could handle. That was why the screws were happy enough as long as their prisoners weren't making too much trouble.

Katy's secret wasn't harming anyone else, so that's where it would stay; with her.

On Monday morning as she was collected from her cell to join the others in the laundry, the teenager was as far from in the mood to be wound up by Henderson as it was possible to be. The couple of mugs of vodka she'd downed before breakfast weren't doing much to aid her mind into thinking straight. Henderson smirked at her as she joined the back of the queue by the gate out of the wing, but Katy simply scowled at him and folded her arms across her chest.

As they headed out of the wing, Katy was deep in thought, wondering what was going on at home. She'd run out of credit for the payphone and wouldn't be able to buy any more until her visit to the canteen, the shop that sold the things the prisoners were allowed to buy, that afternoon. She had written a letter to her sisters the night before, but it hadn't even been posted yet. Anyway, she couldn't say half the things she needed to in a letter that would almost definitely be read before it left the prison.

Ripped from her thoughts by a hand being placed on her bum, Katy turned and, without thinking, lashed out. Her clenched fist connected with Henderson's nose and there was a crunch. Blood splattered from the point where she'd punched him and the prison officer reeled backwards, his hands over his face.

In an instant two more prison officers were on her, pinning her against the wall. They dragged her off to the segregation unit. Katy didn't struggle or say a word as she was taken away; there was no point. She had punched a screw and she would be punished for it. There was no doubt in Katy's mind that her version of events wouldn't be believed by any of the screws, except maybe Karen.

Sitting on the hard, bare bed in the corner of the otherwise empty cell in the segregation unit, Katy sighed. She bent her legs up in front of her and hugged them tightly, resting her chin on her knees and waiting patiently for someone to come and see her. She hoped it would be Karen or Matt Jackson. Knowing her luck, however, it would be Bodybag or Henderson.

Several hours had passed before anyone had come to speak to her. Katy couldn't be sure how long exactly, but she was bored stiff of sitting in silence. A key turned in the lock and the cell door opened. The teenager didn't bother to look up as someone entered, knowing that she'd find out who it was and what they wanted soon enough.

"Katy? Look at me."

Doing as she was told, Katy saw Karen staring at her with a mixture of concern and anger in her eyes. "Sorry…"

"What the hell were you thinking?" The wing governor demanded, sitting beside the teenager and taking hold of her hand. She examined the damage to her knuckles, seeing a slight bruise spread over them.

"He grabbed me… it was instinctive."

Karen flinched slightly. She attempted to cover up the movement by running a hand through her hair, but Katy wasn't fooled. "Where… Where did he grab you?"

"My arse." The teenager told her bluntly. "I have had enough of men thinking they can touch me just because they feel like it. So actually, I'm not sorry at all. You can leave me in here as long as you want but I will never say I'm fucking sorry."

"Katy… I understand why you're upset. In fact, I'm bloody furious about it. No one has the right to touch you without your consent. But likewise, you cannot go around punching prison officers."

The teenager didn't respond. She knew she was in a lot of trouble, but there was absolutely no way she was going to admit that she shouldn't have done it. Also, the look Karen was giving her, sympathy mixed in with anger, was almost enough to cause the teenager to tell her everything that was on her mind. The alcohol which still seemed to be lingering in her system was doing its best to loosen her tongue. She almost had to bite her lips together to stop herself talking.

"What is it?" Karen asked softly. She reached over and gently tucked a strand of Katy's hair behind her ear. "What else is bothering you? Is it the new charge against you?"

"I just… When Shirley… She told me…"

"What?" The blonde woman urged.

"I've really screwed up… again." Katy told her, turning to look at Karen. Tears welled up in her eyes, prickling until they spilled over and ran down her face.

Putting an arm around the teenager, Karen held her close, rocking her gently. "Go on…"

"I can't…"

"Katy, whatever it is, you need to tell me."

"I really can't." She muttered, shaking her head. "It's not just me who'll get dropped in the shit for this one."

"Is there something going on on my wing that I should know about?" Karen asked her sharply, tilting Katy's chin upwards so that she could look into the teenager's eyes see whether she was lying.

As Katy shook her head, the cell door opened again and Karen whipped her head around sharply. Henderson, a couple of stitches across his nose and a purple bruise emphasising his injury, raised an eyebrow at the proximity of the two women.

"Mr Henderson." Karen said sharply, standing up and straightening her jacket out of habit. Intense anger was radiating off her in waves. "I thought I made it very clear to you that you were not supposed to come within ten feet of Katy, at least until all this is sorted out."

"I saw the door was open and wanted to check everything was alright." He told her smoothly. Karen didn't believe him for a moment. "Evidently I needn't have bothered."

Karen growled quietly, keeping her face as impassive as possible. "No, you needn't have. Katy, you're going to be in here until Thursday, at least. If you behave yourself until then, I'll review your punishment."

The teenager nodded wordlessly as the wing governor all but pushed the officer out of the cell and slammed the door behind them. Katy sighed, leaning her head back against the wall and closed her eyes. She had been so close to telling Karen what was on her mind. For once in her life, Henderson had done her a favour.


	59. Chapter 59 Ronnie, Roxy and Shirley

Phil had warned the rest of his family that the police would be wanting to speak to them about the night Heather had died. His main concern, as always, was Ben. Phil was convinced that if he could just get his son to change his plea, everything would be alright. Ronnie, on the other hand, couldn't bring herself to care about her young cousin. He had brought this on himself; he had killed Heather. Her priority was Katy.

The three blondes, Ronnie, Roxy and Shirley, were summoned to the police station and shown to three separate interview rooms. Ritchie moved between them as the interviews took place, making sure that each woman stuck to the story.

"So, Mrs Branning, you didn't leave the house between arriving for the meal and after Ms Trott's body had been discovered by Miss Carter?" DS Crisp asked, leaning towards the older Mitchell sister.

Ronnie nodded. "That's right."

"And Phil, Ben, Jay and your younger sister arrived back at the same time?"

"Yes."

"And how was the atmosphere?" The police officer pushed. "Other people present claimed that Ben was 'laughing and joking'. Is that correct?"

"From what I remember, yes." Ronnie nodded again. "The other two were quieter and seemed tired. But then Katy was under a lot of pressure at the time and Jay's always tired in the evening after a day at work. Ben was the only one who did pretty much nothing all day, so he was always the most awake."

"Your sister was under pressure? What kind of pressure?"

"Katy was studying for her A-Levels, being a full-time Mum and helping out with mine and Roxy's kids, as well as Heather's son occasionally. She was doing all that while trying to have a normal social life like any other nineteen-year-old as well."

"Were you aware that Katy had given Jay and Ben a false alibi?"

"Not a false one, no."

"When we spoke to her, Katy claimed that she knew nothing about the murder and gave them the alibi because they admitted to vandalising a car. She didn't want them to get into trouble for that." DS Crisp told her, glancing at his file. "Do you think she could possibly have been covering up for her cousins?"

Ronnie shook her head vehemently. "Not even Katy's family loyalty would mean she'd cover up for a murderer. There's no way she'd be able to cope with the guilt. She really liked Heather. Besides, since she had Ruby, nothing would make her risk losing her."

"Thank you, Mrs Branning." The officer said with a smile. "If we need to speak to you again we'll get in touch."

With a quick glance at Ritchie, who nodded and smiled, Ronnie stood up and followed the male officer who had been sitting in on the interview from the room.

x-x

Roxy was more nervous than her sister had been when it was her turn to be interviewed by DS Crisp. She waited in the interview room with just a young PC for company. Fiddling with the ring on her finger, she glanced up as the door opened and Ritchie walked in. Nodding to the police officer, he left and the two women looked at each other seriously.

"Ronnie stuck to the story, so now it's your turn, alright?" The lawyer said in a low voice.

As Roxy nodded, thinking about Phil's order that she didn't mention seeing him with Ben on the night in question, the door opened again and DS Crisp and a male officer walked in and took their seats on the opposite side of the table. He started the recording and introduced the interview officially, before looking at the blonde with a warm smile.

"Now, Miss Mitchell… Roxy… I'd like you to think back to the night of Ms Trott's murder."

"OK." She agreed, almost belligerently.

"What were you doing on that particular evening?"

Roxy shrugged slightly. "We had a family dinner at Phil and Shirl's to celebrate Phil's release."

"_En route to this family dinner, you stopped at the Minute Mart on Bridge Street, is that correct?_" DS Crisp asked lightly.

"_Yeah._" Roxy agreed stroppily. "_Just to get some crisps and booze and…_" Feeling Ritchie shift slightly in the seat beside her and fix her with a hard look, Roxy trailed off. "_Yeah, that's right._"

"_And then you went straight back to the house?_"

"_Where else d'you think I'm gonna go?_" The blonde asked sarcastically. Again, Ritchie shot her a look and Roxy sighed, leaning back in the chair. "_Yes._"

"_Did you see anybody on the street between leaving the Minute Mart and arriving back at the house?_"

In a split second, Roxy made her decision and shook her head, before she fixed him with a serious look. "_No._"

"Are you absolutely sure?"

"Yeah."

"I'd just like to verify something about your younger sister's statement." DS Crisp continued, his tone much more gentle now. This change in his voice and expression took Roxy by surprise, so she just nodded. "She claims that she made her false statement, giving Ben and Jay an alibi, because they had told her they'd accidentally vandalised a car and she didn't want them to get into trouble for it. Do you think it's possible that she was in fact aware of their part in Ms Trott's death and was covering up for them?"

Roxy stared at him with horror. "No way!" She replied immediately. "There's no way Katy would do that. She was devastated when she found out about Hev's death and I know her too well for her to be able to hide something like that for so long. She'd have cracked up and told someone ages ago."

"Thank you, Miss Mitchell." The officer said with a smile, nodding.

x-x

Shirley was the most subdued of the three women in the station, but that was nothing unexpected. The fact that she was about to betray Heather by protecting Phil was making her frustrated. She knew that she had to make a choice between her best friend and her family, but it didn't mean that she would like it or find it remotely do-able.

"So, Miss Carter, you were at the house with most of the family waiting for the others to arrive?" DS Crisp asked, leaning forwards.

"Yeah."

"_And Mr Mitchell arrived at the party with Ben, Jay _and Katy?"

"_Yeah._" Shirley agreed quietly.

"_You didn't find that odd?_"

Glancing quickly at Ritchie for reassurance, Shirley set her face into a hard expression and shook her head. "_No._"

"_How would you describe Ben's state of mind when he arrived?_" DS Crisp asked.

"_I don't know what you mean._"

"_Well, let me help you out, shall I?_" The police officer offered, almost sarcastically. He opened the file in front of him and scanned through the papers hurriedly. "_According to others present he was 'laughing and joking'. Does that ring any bells?_"

"_He made some joke about…_" Shirley hesitated, the words sticking in her throat and making her feel sick. "_'Where's Hev? It's not like her to miss a free meal'._"

DS Crisp tilted his head slightly and regarded the closed expression on her face. "_Rather callous, don't you think, considering he knew she was dead?_"

"_Yes._"

"And you had no idea who had killed your friend?"

"Of course not!" Shirley snapped angrily.

"Do you think anyone else did?" He probed, looking at her meaningfully.

"Do you mean Phil? No." She said at once. "Or are you asking whether I think Katy is lying? No way."

"Thank you, Miss Carter." DS Crisp said gently. "You can go."


	60. Chapter 60

The only markers of time for Katy while she was in the block were meal times, when Tina and the Julies came round with a plate of food for her. They slipped her notes to give her something to read and paper and a pen so that she could reply. The brief moments of snatched conversation with them, when the hatch in the cell door was opened, were the only chances she had to speak to anyone.

Karen seemed to be avoiding her, something that Katy couldn't hold against her. She had done what she could for the teenager and Katy didn't expect any more. It would have been nice if she'd popped into the cell for a chat, but Katy also knew that she would almost definitely push her for more information on the conversation Henderson had interrupted on Monday.

Instead, Katy was left alone with her thoughts. She thought she was going to go mad, mulling everything over constantly. Replaying various different outcomes of the current situation in her head, after a while Katy didn't know what was reality and what was fantasy anymore.

She was picturing herself being sent down for murdering Heather, when the lock clicked and the cell door was pushed open. Karen looked at her, a brief smile flickering over her face before it was replaced by a harder, more business-like expression.

"You're going back on the wing, although you'll be on cellular confinement until tomorrow." She said quickly. "My officers tell me that you've been less trouble than almost all the cons they've ever had on the block. Congratulations."

Katy smirked slightly, hearing the sarcasm in the woman's words of praise. "Thanks, Miss."

She allowed herself to be led back to the wing, noting that Karen barely looked at her, let alone spoke to her. Katy assumed it was because she had let the wing governor down; either by not keeping herself out of trouble, or by keeping things from her. She wasn't sure which, but she couldn't deny either. The only thing that kept Katy's conscience clear was that Shirley almost definitely wouldn't have wanted her talking about Heather's death.

"You're back!" Tina exclaimed happily, spotting Katy walking back onto the wing. Instantly a cheer went up and Katy smiled.

"We've seen what you did to Henderson." Bev said with a small nod.

"Well done you!" Phyl added, winking.

Katy laughed softly. "Thanks, girls."

"Move it, Mitchell." Karen almost snapped. "You're on CC, remember?"

"Alright, alright." The teenager muttered, rolling her eyes and following the wing governor up the staircase.

"In."

As soon as Katy was inside her cell, the door was slammed shut and locked. The teenager looked at the metal panel in confusion. She had thought that Karen would have at least said something to her, before locking her up again. Hurt flashing in her eyes, Katy bashed the flat of her hand against the door. Then she rested her forehead on the cold metal.

"I'm sorry I let you down." Katy muttered quietly, not expecting Karen to still be outside.

To her surprise, the lock was turned and the cell door opened almost before she could move out of the way. Karen pushed it closed before taking hold of the teenager's shoulders and looking at her firmly. Spotting the tears in Katy's eyes, Karen wrapped her arms around the girl and held her tightly, rubbing small, soothing circles on her back. At the gentle contact, Katy burst into tears.

Letting the teenager cry until she couldn't cry any more, Karen thought about what Katy had almost whispered through the door. Finally, Katy pulled away slightly, scrubbing at her eyes, as though she was angry at herself for showing any weakness.

"I'm sorry." She murmured at last. "I didn't mean to let you down like that."

"Let me down?"

"About not staying out of trouble… I never meant to make you angry with me... I know I broke my promise, but…"

"You think I'm angry with you?" Karen asked, looking as surprised as Katy had been when she'd entered the cell.

"Well… yeah?" The teenager didn't understand why this was such a shock to the woman. If she wasn't angry with her, why had Karen been so cold and indifferent towards her? Even when Pat or Beth kicked off, Karen wasn't like this.

The woman sighed and sat on the bed, rubbing a hand over her face. "I'm not angry with you, Katy."

"I don't understand."

"I thought acting like this would make it easier for you."

Katy screwed up her face. "How?"

"Henderson." Karen started slowly.

"What about him?"

"When I left you down the block on Monday, Henderson came to my office. He told me that a few days ago he'd found you and Pat in a compromising position on your bed."

"He what?" Katy stared at the wing governor in astonishment. "That's bollocks."

Karen nodded. "I thought so. I assumed that it was just part of his revenge for you turning him down. Then he started insinuating that there's something unprofessional going on between me and you." She smiled sardonically. "There is, of course, but not what he was getting at."

"Shit… you'd be screwed if he said anything…"

"Yeah, as well as you having a hard time from screws and cons alike. So, I thought that if I was a bitch to you he might drop it."

The teenager let out a long breath and sat heavily on the bed beside the older woman. "I'll play along, don't worry." She promised absentmindedly. "Why's he picking on me?"

"I can't be sure, but I'd say it's a case of not everyone sharing the opinion that Yvonne Atkins was someone to be admired." Karen admitted. "Liam Henderson was Jim Fenner's nephew and I'd say that his uncle probably shared his dislike of your sister-in-law only too freely."

"But I'm not her." Katy pointed out. She'd heard enough about Fenner, from the other inmates who had been here when he was, to know just how much he and Shirley had hated each other. They had each tried to kill the other at least once, from what she'd been told.

"You're close enough."

"So you're telling me that he's got it in for me and there's nothing I can do about it."

With a sigh, Karen nodded. "Looks like it. If I could prove any of this, I'd have him out of here in a second. But I can't."

"It's not your fault."

The wing governor stood up and strode angrily across the cell. "It's my bloody job to look after your welfare in here and I can't even protect you from the screws."

"Karen, it isn't your fault." Katy repeated earnestly.

She moved across the room to where the woman was standing, looking completely lost. Katy had never seen, and had never expected to see, Karen Betts looking so out of control and disturbed. Putting her arms around the woman, Katy gave her a hug and was surprised to find Karen clinging onto her as though for dear life.

"It'll be alright." The teenager assured her gently.

Sniffing and rubbing her eyes, Karen nodded and stepped backwards. "I'd better go before someone else gets the wrong idea."

Smiling at her, Katy stood in the middle of her cell as the wing governor left, locking her in. Sitting back down on her bed, Katy found herself wondering when her life had got so complicated. She laughed, shaking her head at the madness of that thought. Her life had never been anything but complicated.

Spending those days on the block with only her mind for company, Katy had found herself going through and analysing every memory she had, especially those concerning her mother. For so long she had thought of her mum in a positive light, but now the teenager found that her view of the woman had changed. While she accepted that her mother had been ill, Katy now saw that she had not had any excuse for the way she had treated her daughter.

Being in prison had cleared all the rose-tinted thoughts from Katy's mind. While she'd been living with her family in Walford, she'd always felt the need to defend her mother because of how Archie had just abandoned her and kept them a total secret from everyone else. But here she had no reason to make excuses for her anymore.

Katy briefly wondered whether prison was sending her mad. She had never before acknowledged just how little her mother had thought about her or done for her, but now it hit her like a tonne of bricks. Even before she had got ill she hadn't had any time for her daughter. Katy supposed that it was no wonder she'd gone off the rails the way she had, with no one to keep an eye on her. Immediately the threat of tears engulfing her vanished, replaced by a fury that burnt in her eyes. She'd been screwed over since she'd been born; first by Archie and then by her mother and then by pretty much everyone else she'd let close enough to hurt her and even some she hadn't let close.

Except the Mitchells.

That one, positive thought was almost enough to drive Katy over the edge. She missed her sisters so much it was like a constant dull ache in her chest. And that was nothing to how much she missed her daughter.

Retrieving the bag of vodka from its hiding place, Katy made up her mind to drink until she forgot everything.

* * *

**_A/N: Hey lovelies! Thank you for still reading - I hope that means you're enjoying it? Fancy leaving a review and letting me know? ;)_**


	61. Chapter 61

There was a light tap on her cell door and Katy glanced up to see who was there. She sent Karen a weak smile, before turning her attention back to the book she was attempting to read. In the last half an hour she had only managed a couple of pages and, if she was completely honest with herself, she had absolutely no idea what had happened in them.

"I've got some news for you." Karen told her, sitting on the end of Katy's bed and glancing at the teenager.

Sighing, Katy closed the book and sat upright, looking at her. "What is it?"

"How would you like a day out tomorrow?"

"What?" The teenager blinked, unable to register what she was hearing.

"Last week the Julies filed an app for you to have a day's compassionate release so that you could go to Ruby's christening." Karen informed her, smiling broadly. "It's been approved by the number one, despite that unfortunate incident with Henderson, so you're going!"

"How…" For once in her life, Katy was speechless.

Karen chuckled. "I warned them that they would have to keep you out of trouble or it would be cancelled. I had to work hard to gloss over that broken nose, although your exemplary behaviour down the block went a long way to helping, as did the extenuating circumstances that led to you being in a bad mood before the incident took place."

"No wonder the Julies have been on my case all of today. Every single time I was about to talk to anyone they'd appear from nowhere and hover around."

"You owe those two." The wing governor said, nudging the teenager gently with her elbow. "Shame they can't be on hand all the time though!"

"I'll bring them some cake."

"I'm sure you can do better than cake." At the woman's words, the teenager assumed her most innocent expression.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Miss Betts."

Karen smirked. "Of course you don't, Mitchell." She stood up and moved to the door. "I'm afraid there were only two choices for who could escort you. I guessed that you wouldn't want Henderson–"

"It wouldn't be good for his health, Miss." The teenager interrupted with a grin.

"– so I'm afraid that you've got–"

Katy's face fell. "Please don't say it's Bodybag?"

"– Mrs Hollamby." Karen continued, ignoring Katy's interjection. The teenager groaned loudly. "I'm sorry; I know she wouldn't be your first choice."

"Can't you do it?"

"I've got a meeting with the number one and some of the board."

Frowning slightly, Katy nodded. She sighed, realising that there was no way Karen could cancel a meeting with the governing governor and the board members just to accompany her out for a couple of hours. The main thing worrying Katy was that Shirley would wind the prison officer up so much she would end up in segregation as soon as she got back.

"Don't worry." Karen said, as though reading the teenager's mind. "I'll warn Shirley. The christening's at St Mary's in Walford at 2 o'clock, isn't it? You'll need to be ready by one to get there in time."

"Thanks. I mean it… thank you. But don't say anything to Shirl… I want it to be a surprise."

The wing governor nodded and smiled, leaving the cell. Katy bit her lip, a smile forcing its way onto her face as she thought about what Karen had just told her. Grinning broadly, she ran out of her cell and threw open the door to the cell next door. Both Julies jumped and let out a small shriek as the door rebounded off the wall with a bang and the teenager leapt on them excitedly.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She squealed, hugging them tightly.

"Get off, you soft cow!" Julie J laughed, pushing her gently.

"Soft cow!" Julie S echoed, laughing too.

Katy laughed, rolling off them and sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of the bed they were sitting on. "Thank you!"

"Betts told you about tomorrow, then?"

"She has." The teenager agreed. "I owe you two big time."

"Don't be silly!"

"Yeah, don't be silly, Ruby's your daughter."

"You should be at her christening."

"Especially seeing as you're missing her birthday."

"I guess… Oh! You're never gonna believe who's escorting me."

"It's not Henderson is it?" Julie S asked. Katy shook her head and the woman pulled a face. "Bodybag?"

"Yup."

"I can't imagine her at a christening… she'd have to smile for one thing." Julie J muttered, looking disgusted at the thought.

"There's no way she would be able to manage that one without some kind of facial crane…" Katy joked. "It'd have to be extra strong to pull her mouth into position! Anyway, I'm more worried about what Shirl's gonna say!"

The Julies both started laughing. "I wish I could see them together!" They chorused.

"Are you gonna call your sisters or Shirl?" Julie S asked.

Katy shook her head. "Nah, I thought it would be a nice surprise."

"What are you going to wear?"

"I have no idea! I didn't exactly pack for occasions like this when I came in here…"

"Leave it to us." Julie J told her with a grin, standing up and disappearing out of the cell.

Katy watched in confusion as Julie S followed her. Realisation dawned on her face and she scrambled to her feet, rushing after them. In her cell, the Julies were going through her wardrobe, laying her clothes gently on the bed, making outfits out of them and muttering quietly to each other.

"You're a bit of a chav, ain't you, love?" Julie S said, almost sympathetically.

"Bit of a chav." Her friend agreed.

"Oi!" Katy complained. "You think I'm a chav you should meet my sister Roxy or my mate Whit!"

"Yeah, well, we're not trying to make them look good from in 'ere, are we?"

"Fair point." The teenager conceded, shrugging and pushing a top aside so she could sit on her bed. "Do your worst, Julies!"

* * *

**_A/N: Massive thank you to everyone who's reading! And huge thanks to Torchwood Boy for your review! :D_**


	62. Chapter 62

_**A/N: The christening service might not be perfectly accurate – I found a transcript on the internet and adapted it slightly along the lines of the last christening I went to, which was about 2 monthS ago!**_

_**Thank you to Gillian Kearney Fan and Alexandra. Xx for your reviews :)**_

* * *

Katy had barely been able to sleep on Friday night. She was so excited at the prospect of a couple of hours out of the prison, let alone seeing her family and friends. She had wondered whether it was such a good idea after all, seeing as things seemed to be kicking off with the Mitchells in Walford. The teenager was nervous about what kind of reception she would receive from her neighbours who were sure to know that she had given Ben and Jay an alibi on the night of Heather's murder.

It was too late to worry about that now, though, as she waited anxiously by the gate off the wing for Bodybag to appear. Fidgeting with the clear plastic bag which held the dress the Julies had made for Ruby, Katy was surprised to see Karen walking towards her. The expression on her face was unreadable but, as she took in the teenager's confusion, she allowed a small smirk to twitch at the corner of her lips.

"I thought Bod– I mean Mrs Hollamby, was taking me." Katy asked as Karen unlocked the gate and stood aside for the teenager to walk through.

As everyone else was still on post-lunchtime lockup, the wing governor allowed herself to smile broadly at the girl. "I pulled a few strings." She admitted. "I felt mean sending Sylvia with you."

"Thanks." Katy nodded gratefully.

Once all the necessary paperwork and searches had been carried out, Karen led Katy through the doors and out into the car park. The teenager blinked slightly, not expecting it to be as bright as it was. The wing governor smiled and pointed towards a dark green convertible parked beside the wall.

"Is that your car?" Katy asked, raising an eyebrow. "It's well old. I expected you to have a brand new shiny one."

Karen laughed. "I've had it for years and I can't bear to part with her."

"Her?" The teenager laughed. "You're as bad as my cousin Jay… he loves cars."

Reaching out, the wing governor snapped one side of a pair of handcuffs around the teenager's wrist. "I'm sorry." She said quietly. "But I have to be at least seen to be following procedure. If word got back to the prison that I'd given you a free reign we'd both be in trouble. I'll take them off at the Church."

"I understand." Katy sighed. She might not like it, but as far as everyone was concerned she was a con and had to be treated like one.

As the car took them swiftly towards the Church where Ruby's christening was being held, Katy felt more and more nervous. Her stomach started churning and, as she glanced in the wing mirror outside her window she realised that she was much paler than usual.

Glancing sideways, Karen realised that something was the matter. At once, she thought she knew what was bothering the teenager. "It'll be alright."

"Will it?"

"Of course."

Katy shook her head. "You have no idea what people are like on the Square. You can't call someone a cow without everyone else chipping in. I just… Ruby's a Mitchell, but she's just a baby. I really hope they ain't gonna punish her for what Ben did."

"They wouldn't do that." Karen tried to reassure her, speaking in a calming voice.

"I dunno…" The teenager shrugged. "They might… Besides, they're gonna know that I gave the boys an alibi and they're gonna think I had summit to do with Hev's death. I'm gonna get to the bleedin' Church and it'll just be Ron and Roxy there. I doubt Tyler will even bother to turn up after I finished with him."

"Come on, cheer up." The older woman urged her, turning sharply into a car park beside the Church. "You're getting an afternoon out, you can see your family and friends and, if you're good, I might buy you a drink."

Katy grinned and put her head in her hands for a moment, sighing. "Thanks, Karen. It's just… this is weird. It feels like months, maybe even years, since I was out last. I guess I'm just not looking forward to their version of the Spanish Inquisition."

"Surely it won't be that bad?" Karen asked, slamming her door and locking the car.

She clicked the other end of the handcuffs around her own wrist and they walked slowly through a gate in the hedge and along a path to the Church. Raising an eyebrow, the teenager didn't answer. She noticeably slowed down as they got closer to the stone building, chewing her lip anxiously.

At the entrance to the Church, Katy could see her sisters and Jack, each with a child in their arms. They were smiling and greeting people as they made their way under the arch and into the building. Some of the guests Katy didn't recognise, but others were incredibly familiar to her. She was relieved to see so many of the Square's residents had turned up.

"Ready?" Karen asked, nudging her gently with her shoulder and smiling.

Katy nodded and took a deep breath, before starting to walk along the path towards the group. Jack was the first to spot them. His mouth dropped open and he shifted James in his arms so that he could attract his wife's attention. Ronnie turned to see what he was staring at and did a double take.

"Katy?" She murmured, making Roxy whip round as well. "What are you doing here?"

"Karen fixed it." Katy informed them with a broad grin. "Well, the Julies put in an app for compassionate day release and it got accepted… with a little help from Karen!"

"Why didn't you tell us?" Roxy demanded as Ronnie handed Ruby to her sister.

The teenager struggled slightly to juggle holding her daughter while being handcuffed to Karen. "I wanted it to be a surprise." She noticed the three of them staring at the metal attaching her to the prison officer and smiled. "It's not Karen's fault. Its prison rules that I have to stay handcuffed to her in case I try and escape. If anyone at Larkhall heard that she hadn't followed the regulations we'd both be in trouble."

"Once we get inside I'll undo them for the service." Karen promised with a nod.

Apparently satisfied with this, although none of them looked particularly happy about it, Jack, Ronnie and Roxy led the way into the Church. A sea of faces turned as they entered and Katy immediately saw eyes widening and the gossip mill starting up. People muttered to each other behind their hands, eyes darting over her. She took a deep breath and tried not to let it bother her.

As they made their way along the aisle to the front pew of the Church, Katy tried not to make eye contact with anyone. She could hear them muttering about the fact she was in handcuffs and speculating about her current situation. Karen smiled weakly at her as Katy glanced at the woman for reassurance.

"Hey, sweetheart." Shirley muttered from the row behind as Katy slipped into the front pew with Karen, Jack and her sisters. "You alright?"

"Yeah, how are you? Bearing up?" Katy replied in a low voice. The woman nodded and squeezed her shoulder, glaring at Phil who was sending longing looks at her.

Once the service got underway and the Reverend Stevens asked for quiet for a prayer, Katy looked around the Church. She spotted Lauren and Whitney sitting on the other side of the aisle with Fatboy, Tyler, Anthony, Alice, Lucy and Joey. For a moment, Katy was stunned that Lucy and Joey had come. Then her focus zoomed in on the blonde girl sitting beside Tyler.

"Would Ruby's parents and godparents like to come up to the front, please?" Reverend Stevens called suddenly, making Katy jump.

She stood up, not having noticed that Karen had already removed the handcuffs and made her way to stand beside the large stone font. Lauren, Whitney and Anthony smiled broadly at her, delighted to see her. Tyler, on the other hand, pointedly avoided her gaze, looking hurt. Katy didn't blame him, although her heart sank slightly.

"Parents and godparents, the Church receives Ruby with joy. Today we are trusting God for their growth in faith. Will you pray for her, draw her by your example into the community of faith and walk with them in the way of Christ?" Revered Stevens asked. He had obviously done so many christenings that he didn't need the book that was open in his hand.

"With the help of God, we will." They chorused, reading off the sheet of paper the vicar had handed Lauren.

"In baptism Ruby begins her journey in faith. You speak for her today. Will you care for her, and help her to take her place within the life and worship of Christ's Church?"

"With the help of God, we will."

"What's her full name?" Reverend Stevens asked as he held his arms out for Ruby.

Katy handed her over with a smile. "Ruby Margaret Karen Mitchell."

"Ruby Margaret Karen Mitchell," the Vicar said shifting Ruby in his arms and dipping one hand into the font, "Christ claims you for his own. Receive the sign of his cross."

As he made the sign of a cross on her forehead with water from the font, Ruby burst into tears and reached out to her mother. Katy smiled and took her back as the Vicar held her out. Bouncing her on her hip, the teenager tickled Ruby's stomach and she stopped crying at once, giggling instead.

Lighting a candle, the Vicar handed it to Tyler with a smile. "God has delivered us from the dominion of darkness and has given us a place with the saints in light. Ruby, you have received the light of Christ; walk in this light all the days of your life."

"Shine as a light in the world to the glory of God the Father." Everyone in the Church chorused.

Reverend Stevens nodded and they returned to their seats for the rest of the service. Katy couldn't concentrate on anything that was being said, or on the words of the hymns they were singing. Instead she was wondering who the girl sitting with Tyler was and how she was going to get through the party at the Vic.


	63. Chapter 63

After the christening Katy handed Ruby back to Ronnie, promising to meet them at the Vic, before heading towards the wing governor's car. As she kicked the car's engine into life, Karen glanced sideways at the teenager who was staring absent-mindedly out of the window.

"That wasn't too bad." She said brightly.

"The worst is yet to come…"

"It can't be as bad as all that." Karen told her soothingly. "They might be a little interested for a while, but they'll soon get over it. Your friends seemed pleased to see you." When Katy didn't respond, the woman tried to chance tack. "I'm assuming that was Tyler, at the font with you?"

"Yeah."

"He's good looking."

"Yeah." Katy suddenly turned to look at her. "So was the blonde he was with."

Realisation dawned on Karen's face and her mouth opened slightly into a small 'o'. Her attention turned back to the road as she tried to think of something to say. Luckily they weren't far away from Albert Square, so she was able to distract herself with parking the car.

"Can we just… for a minute…?" Katy murmured as Karen started to open her door. "I just need…"

"Take your time." The blonde said gently, reaching over and rubbing the teenager's hand.

Five minutes passed and then ten, but Karen didn't try to push Katy into leaving the car. She switched the radio on and the sounds of the latest songs broke the silence between them. As a song ended, Katy took a deep breath and nodded. She opened her door and got out, waiting for Karen to move around to her side and attach the handcuffs.

Giving her a warm smile, Karen allowed Katy to lead her towards the Vic. On the threshold, Katy took a long breath and steadied herself. Fixing a calm expression on her face, the teenager gave herself a silent pep-talk, before pushing open the pub door and going inside.

At once the noise levels dropped and everyone turned to look at her. Karen, realising that she was adding to the situation, did her best to blend into the background, largely unsuccessfully. No one seemed to know how to break the atmosphere that had descended.

"Alright, sweetheart?" Shirley called from the bar. She moved towards the two women and Katy got the distinct impression that the drink clutched in her hand wasn't her first. "Come and sit down. You OK, Karen?"

Gratefully the two women moved to the table Shirley was pointing at and dropped onto the bench. Karen reached across and unlocked the handcuffs, returning Katy's grateful smile. Moments later Shirley appeared with a vodka and coke for the teenager and a scotch for Karen. They sipped them slowly as the noise levels around them began to rise to a normal volume.

"So, how long's she got?" Shirley asked Karen, nodding her head towards the teenager.

"A couple of hours." The prison officer informed her with a smile. "You got a lucky escape. I managed to shuffle a few things around and take over escort duty from Sylvia Hollamby."

"Jesus!" Shirley breathed in sharply, her breath whistling between her teeth. "That would have been horrendous."

"Tell me about it." Karen laughed. "She's been whining about it since she found out she was down for the duty. Usually Sylvia's the first in line for escort duty. I think the thought of two of her favourite cons in one Church was too much for her."

Shirley chuckled. "As fun as that would have been, I'm glad you took over, Karen. Besides, you did wonder if you'd get a second date with me." She joked.

As both older women started to laugh, their conversation moving back to the old days in Larkhall, Katy found herself staring into her new empty glass absentmindedly. She couldn't see either of her sisters in the pub and no one else seemed keen to come and speak to her, not even Lauren and Whitney.

"I need the toilet." She muttered, standing up. As Karen got to her feet, Katy rolled her eyes. "I'm not going to try and escape through the toilet window."

Karen smiled. "I know; I was just getting out of your way."

"Oh… sorry…" Katy apologised with a wince.

"Don't worry. Besides, you wouldn't be the first in your family to try and escape their prison escort through a pub toilet window, would she, Shirley?"

"You weren't even there!" Shirley good-naturedly heckled her. "It wasn't difficult to get past Bodybag and Fenner!"

"I was there when you tried to escape over the wall and ended up giving me a black eye, though." Karen countered as Katy made her way into the toilets.

Once the door was closed behind her, Katy leant heavily against the sink and took a deep breath. She looked into the mirror and studied her face carefully, wondering whether she'd changed in the month she'd spent in Larkhall. When the door opened behind her and she whirled around defensively, she realised that she had changed.

"Babe?" Whitney called gently, seeing the expression on Katy's face. Behind her, Lauren looked a little wary. "You alright?"

"Yeah… sorry… yeah." Katy nodded, fixing a smile on her face. "You made me jump, that's all."

The younger girls came into the toilets and put their arms around her, drawing Katy into a tight hug. They stayed like that for a couple of moments, completely silent. After a while, Katy gently extracted herself from their embrace and sat on the sink unit.

"So? What's the gossip on the Square?" She asked.

"Never mind that." Lauren said dismissively. "We want to know…"

Whitney, the more tactful of the two, sent her a look before approaching the question they wanted to ask in a more gentle way. "You didn't know about Ben killing Heather, did you?"

"No." Katy said at once, her brain kicking in with the pre-programmed answer straight away. "I gave them an alibi because they said they'd smashed a car windscreen."

"We never believed you had anything to do with it, babe." Lauren jumped in quickly. "Come on, I'll get you a drink."

They headed back out into the pub. Katy glanced in the direction of the table where Shirley and Karen were sitting. Noticing the direction of her gaze, Lauren nudged her jokily.

"D'you need to go and check with your babysitter?"

Katy smiled. "I'll be back in a second."

Once she'd told Karen where she was and heard that as long as the prison officer could see her at all times it was alright, Katy headed back to sit at the table with her friends. They were soon joined by Fatboy, Anthony, Alice and Poppy. For a while, Katy allowed them to question her about being in prison and she answered the questions completely truthfully. Occasionally her answers caused them to raise their eyebrows in astonishment, especially when she told them about getting drunk in her cell on the smuggled vodka and breaking Henderson's nose.

"I've got a question for you now." Katy said at last. "Who was that blonde with Tyler at the Church?"

Anthony shrugged. "I dunno… just some girl he picked up to make you jealous."

"That's dead sweet, that is." Poppy cooed.

"Did it work?" Alice asked, smiling her usual innocent smile.

"Not in the slightest." Katy lied with a shrug. "As long as he ain't bringing a load of random strangers around Ruby he can do what he likes, can't he?"

"Is it really over between you two?" Whitney asked sympathetically.

Not trusting herself to speak, Katy nodded. Then she glanced up and spotted her sisters at the bar looking around and excused herself quickly. She grinned at the blonde women, allowing herself to be folded into the arms, before making a big fuss over her daughter, niece and nephew.


	64. Chapter 64 Shirley

After Katy had briefly appeared to check whether it was alright for her to go and sit with her friends, Karen had turned to Shirley and fixed her with a searching look. Shirley knew that an interrogation was headed her way; she recognised the expression on the wing governor's face from the time she'd spent in Larkhall.

"Listen, Shirl, this is going to sound strange, but you're probably the closest person I've got to a friend." Karen started slowly. "If you need to talk… about your friend and everything… I'm here."

To cover how touched she was by the other woman's offer, Shirley smirked. "Hey, don't start going soft now or Katy will walk all over you, not to mention the other cons… and most of the screws, come to that!"

"I'll bear that in mind." The prison officer murmured dryly.

As a comfortable silence descended between them, Shirley glanced over and saw Katy laughing at the bar with her sisters. She watched them for a moment, jealousy settling on her as she did so. The family she'd had had disappeared the moment she'd found out about Ben killing Heather. She understood why Phil was doing everything he could to protect his son, but it didn't make the reality any easier. Phil, Ben, Ronnie, Roxy, Katy and even Jay were Mitchells and she was a Carter. She had lost her family.

"Hey?" Karen muttered softly, seeing the helpless longing in Shirley's eyes. "What is it?"

"I've lost everyone… Hev's dead, my kids hate me, the family I thought I was part of… well… I can't be around Phil at the moment. The boys I thought of as my own were responsible for Hev's death and Katy… she don't need me." Shirley replied, her voice cracking with emotion. Then, sensing that she was about to cry, she forced herself to smile. "And my closest friend is head screw."

Karen laughed. "And mine's an ex-con. What a pair!"

"Have you seen Katy?" Lauren asked suddenly, appearing at Shirley's side and looking around in confusion. "I thought she was with Ronnie and Roxy, but she ain't."

"Maybe she's popped to the loo?" The woman suggested with a shrug.

As the teenager wandered away, Shirley noticed Karen looking around quickly. The wing governor's face clouded slightly as her eyes searched for her charge. Shirley surveyed the pub as well, hoping to spot the dark-haired teenager in the crowd.

"You don't reckon she'd…" Karen started worriedly.

Shirley shook her head, not totally convinced. "No."

"Shirl?" Ronnie called, making her way through the crowded pub towards the older woman. "Have you seen Katy? I've looked everywhere, but–"

Karen glanced at her quickly. "Jesus Christ!"

The pair of them shot towards the doors, wrenching them open and running outside. There was no sign of Katy out on the Square. As Shirley ran along Bridge Street, looking in the Minute Mart and Café as she passed, Karen headed in the opposite direction, checking the gardens and the Car Lot.

When they met back beside Arthur's bench, Shirley couldn't be sure if Karen was furious or worried. She was clutching her mobile in her hand. Hoping beyond hope that she hadn't already contacted anyone, Shirley eyed it nervously.

"Have you…?"

"Not yet." Karen admitted. "How bad is this going to look? The wing governor gives a prisoner too much freedom and is too busy having a drink and a laugh with her mate to notice the con escaping."

"Katy's not stupid. She wouldn't run off and risk extending her sentence, especially now she's up on an extra charge." Shirley assured her quickly.

"Where is she then?"

Sighing, the ex-con shrugged. Then an idea hit her. She turned and headed off in the direction of the swings by the Arches, leaving a confused Karen to follow in her wake. As they approached, Shirley slowed down so that her friend could catch up.

"Ruby loves the swings." She told Karen, nodding towards the figure standing with her back to them.

Taking a steadying breath, the wing governor stepped forwards, Shirley at her side. "Katy?"

"Yeah?" The teenager turned and they spotted at once that her eyes were red from crying.

"You can't just run off like that." Karen told her firmly.

"I-I'm sorry." Katy replied, sniffing. "It was just too much… everyone fussing round me like I'm ill or something. I just wanted to feel normal for a minute or two."

Shirley stepped forwards and wrapped her in a tight hug. "We understand, but you should have told Karen, at least." She said firmly. "We thought you'd done a runner. Karen was that close to having to call the prison."

Staring between them with wide, horrified eyes, Katy shook her head. "You didn't, did you? They'll stop any chance of me getting an early release for that!"

"I didn't." Karen assured her, lifting Ruby out of the swing as the teenager clutched at Shirley. "I was hoping we'd find you."

"It was just too much in there." Katy told them in a small voice. "Everyone was asking me questions and fussing over me. I couldn't deal with it anymore. I just needed to get out."

Karen nodded and smiled gently. "I can understand that. Listen, why don't Ruby and I have a play on the swings, while you and Shirley have a chat?"

She moved away, putting Ruby into the swing and starting to push her, much to the little girl's delight. Katy watched them for a moment, smiling at how easily Karen had caught Ruby's attention and glad her little daughter was enjoying herself.

"So, are you going to tell me why you've been down the block?" Shirley started, arching an eyebrow and trying not to look amused.

Katy grinned at her. "I punched a screw in the face and broke his nose."

"Jesus!" Shirley exclaimed, unable to stop a snort of laughter escaping at the same time. "And you only got four days?"

"Yeah, well, extenuating circumstances and all that… I had just found out that I'd inadvertently given Ben an alibi for… well… you know." Katy trailed off, seeing the distress on Shirley's face. "And he provoked me, whether anyone believes me or not."

"How?"

"He grabbed my arse."

"What?"

"Yeah…" She hesitated. "Look… Henderson, the screw I punched, is the nephew of Jim Fenner."

"Fenner?" Shirley snapped, her eyes flashing with fury.

Leaning back on the bench and folding her arms, Katy sighed. "Tina and the Julies filled me in on Fenner. But now his nephew has it in for me for absolutely no reason. He tried it on and I turned him down and suddenly he's decided that I'm a lesbian."

Shirley started to laugh at that. "What? Really?"

"Yeah!" Katy grinned, before turning serious again. "But then he decided that me and Karen must be having an affair or something, so it's not really funny. We're having to pretend we can't stand each other on the wing!"

"Nothing's ever simple with you, is it?"

"I can't help it Shirl!" Katy pretended to complain. Then she sighed. "How are you?"

"Not great." Shirley admitted. "I've lost my family, my best mate, my home…"

"Shirl… you say you've lost your family, but I'm still here. Ronnie and Roxy and the kids are still here. Jay, even though he covered up for Ben, he's still here and he really has got no one. Anyway, I covered up for Ben as well, remember?" Katy reminded her.

"Yeah, but you didn't know what he'd done, that's the difference."

Katy balled her hands into fists at this, feeling her nails digging into her palms. She squeezed harder, so that it felt as though her nails were breaking through her skin. When she opened her hands again, there would be obvious marks on her flesh.

"You know Jay as well as I do… he wouldn't hurt a fly. I bet this has been eating him up since it happened."

The older woman fixed Katy with a fierce glare. "I know you and Jay are close, but it's gonna take a bit longer than this for me to even start thinking about forgiving him for what he's done."

"Alright… but I ain't going anywhere, Shirl." She grinned. "Well, except maybe down the block."


	65. Chapter 65

For a while they just sat, watching Karen pushing Ruby on the swing. Then Shirley stood up and took hold of Katy's hand, pulling her off the bench as well. Karen, noticing that they were getting ready to move, brought the swing to a stop and lifted the toddler out. She balanced Ruby on her hip and walked over to where the other two were standing.

"Here…" She said gently, starting to move her arm to hand Ruby back to her mother.

Katy backed away slightly. "Nah, it's OK… can you hold her."

Confused, Karen nodded and followed as they led the way back to the Vic. Katy didn't want to hold Ruby because she was trying to separate herself from her daughter slowly, rather than being wrenched away from her when she had to leave. It was only a matter of time before she had to go and they'd be separated again.

"Can't she even hold her own baby?" Lauren snapped as they entered the pub.

"Leave it out, Lor." Katy murmured.

Her eyes had been drawn to the corner where Tyler was sitting with the blonde girl he had brought to the christening. A wave of jealousy swept over her and she scooped Ruby out of Karen's arms, before making her way over to their table.

"Hi." She said calmly, smiling at the pair. "I'm Katy… you are?"

"Jennifer." The girl said, her gaze sweeping over the teenager disdainfully. "So you're the jailbird ex?"

"That's me." Katy agreed. "I just thought I'd come and say hi and see how you were."

"I'm great." Tyler shrugged.

"Dada!" Ruby called out, holding her arms towards him and almost throwing herself out of Katy's grasp.

With a smile, the teenager held her out and Tyler took her, grinning at her. "Alright, Princess? You excited to see Mummy?"

"Course she ain't!" Katy laughed. "You ain't missed me at all, have you baby? You're just excited about the cake."

Jennifer glanced at Katy, before nudging Tyler's arm. "Hadn't we better get going?"

"Oh, yeah, right." Tyler agreed. He handed Ruby back to Katy, leaning over to press a kiss to the toddler's forehead. "I'll see you tomorrow, Rubes, OK? Come on, babe." As he and Jennifer slid sideways out of the booth, he glanced over his shoulder. "Look after yourself, Katy."

With a smile and a nod, Katy turned and headed back to where Shirley, Ronnie, Roxy and Karen had been watching her at the bar. They all sent her sympathetic smiles and Shirley reached out to rub her shoulder.

"Didn't take him long to move on, did it?" Katy muttered, handing Ruby to her sister and leaning against the bar. "Vodka and coke, please, Trace."

"He's just trying to make you jealous, sweetie." Ronnie told her seriously, while Roxy nodded in agreement and bounced Ruby on her hip.

Katy shook her head. "No he ain't. But I ain't got no right to complain, have I?"

"Just talk to him; tell him you were having some kind of crisis or something." Roxy suggested.

"But I wasn't." Her younger sister said firmly, accepting the glass Tracey was holding out and taking a sip. "I was deadly serious. I just didn't expect him to find someone else so quickly. It was a shock, that's all. Although I dunno why I'm so surprised… I knew about his reputation. I mean, just before we got together he tried it on with Whit right in front of me. Not to mention every other female in the vicinity."

"Yeah, but that was a long time ago." Shirley reminded her with a shrug.

"As long as he's still here for Ruby I can't ask anything more."

The four older women exchanged a look at her casual tone, but decided against saying anything more.

* * *

**_A/N: Cheers for reading and reviewing darlings! Means a lot :)_**


	66. Chapter 66

When Katy was returned to Larkhall, she didn't need to put on an act about not wanting to be around Karen. All she wanted to do was get back to her cell and be on her own. She had been horrified at her realisation that she might be beginning to be institutionalised. Being back in Walford, with everyone staring at her, had been almost too much for the teenager. She knew that the main topic of conversation with the local gossips for a couple of days would be her and her current situation.

As soon as she was back in her cell, she lay on her bed, burying her face in her pillow and breathing deeply. She wasn't sure whether she wanted to cry or scream, but neither seemed to be an option.

A soft tap on her cell door made her turn and look to see who'd come to disturb her. For once, only one of the Julies was in her line of sight. Julie Johnston was nowhere to be seen, but Julie Saunders was hovering in the doorway looking deeply concerned. She fixed a bright smile on her face as she entered, sitting beside the teenager who pulled herself into a seated position.

"Alright, darlin'? Have a good time?"

"Yeah, thanks Ju." Katy nodded, knowing that disagreeing would upset the woman who had arranged it for her. "Where's Julie?"

"There was a disaster in the kitchen and she's had to go and sort it."

"Oh, right…"

"Has something happened?"

Sighing, Katy shrugged. "Only Tyler turning up to the christening with some blonde tart who looked at me like I was shit on her shoe."

"Sounds like he's joined the 'all men are bastards' club." Julie muttered sympathetically. "It happens to them all eventually."

"Yeah, well, as long as he looks out for Ruby, he can do whatever."

"Is Tyler Ruby's real dad?" Julie S asked, her eyes suggesting that she already knew the answer to that particular question.

Katy shook her head. "No."

There was a long pause. "Who is he?"

"It was a guy I knew from back before my mam..." Katy stared hesitantly. "His name is Nathan. He's like my own personal nightmare."

"What happened?" The woman pushed her gently.

Briefly Katy realised that she had never actually talked about what Nathan had done to her. She had given her sisters the bare facts, but other than that she had pushed the memory away.

As though sensing this, Julie laid a reassuring hand on the teenager's arm and smiled at her. "It's alright."

"I'd messed up, big time. This guy I knew, Connor, was messing around with my mate and her gran at the same time." Spotting the look of intense surprise on Julie's face, Katy smiled weakly. "Carol is about the same age as you and Whit's her step-granddaughter. But anyway... He asked me to look after some stuff for him. I should have said no, but I couldn't."

"What stuff?" Julie asked, playing her role as psychiatrist well.

"A gun and drugs." Katy admitted bitterly. "Jack, Ronnie's husband, found it and kicked me out. At the time Ronnie was suffering from post-natal depression, so she couldn't talk him round... not that I'd have wanted her to. I deserved what Jack said and I deserved to be thrown out." She said these words with such conviction that the older woman was thrown for a moment. Her intervention was not needed, however as Katy realised that she could not stop talking now she had started. "I ended up getting drunk and sleeping with Connor in the back of one of the cars in my cousin's garage. The next morning I, stupidly, decided to go and ask Nathan and his girlfriend if I could stay with them for a while. I'd met up with him a couple of months before and he'd been fine. But this time it was different. He said I needed to pay him back for letting me stay and tried to get me on the game."

Here she paused and looked guiltily at the older woman. She knew the two Julies had been prostitutes, which was how they'd ended up in prison the first time. As well as that, she didn't think anyone knew how close she'd come to becoming, however briefly, part of that particular profession.

"Go on." Julie encouraged her with a smile and a slight squeeze of the hand she was holding.

"I said no, so he forced me to do burglaries instead; I'd been good at breaking and entering when we were younger. But that didn't seem to be enough. He told me that he had some friends who wanted to meet me. I knew what he meant and I refused. Nathan isn't used to people saying no to him."

"Did he rape you?" Julie asked softly, sensing Katy couldn't bring herself to say it.

She nodded. "I knew that was the last straw and I left. I didn't want to go home... I was so ashamed and I didn't want my family to see me like that. I had half a mind to just vanish. But I didn't. I just went home." She trailed off. Julie was surprised that she hadn't shed a single tear. "Until Ruby was born I didn't know whether she was Nathan's or Connor's. That makes me sound like a complete slut, I know. The look in the doctor's eyes when he asked about dates and I had to admit that made me want to disappear. When I was... Seven months pregnant? Nathan told me that if I wouldn't be with him he would take my baby away and I'd never see her again. When I refused, he beat me up. I thought I was going to lose her..."

"Oh, sweetheart..." Julie pulled the teenager, who was now sobbing as though her heart had shattered into a million pieces, into her arms and held her tightly.

Julie felt guilty that she had known almost nothing about this girl. Katy portrayed an image to everyone; a confident, straight-talking, no-nonsense young woman who refused to take shit from anyone and was scared of nothing. Before now it had not occurred to Julie that there was a reason for this, other than the obvious fact of the expectations of the family she was part of. Katy gave out the bare minimum of information and, before now, Julie hadn't thought to probe any deeper.

"That's how I ended up in here in the first place." Katy sobbed. "He hates me so, so much. I kept denying that Ruby was his... Every time he called her his daughter I argued with him. I said she was Tyler's. He never believed it."

"But how did get you banged up?"

"Him and Paul, another guy from back home, kidnapped me. Paul is as bad as you can get. They kept me locked in a room for a week; it was ten times worse than being in here. He wanted to get me on the game, to pay them back. I managed to escape, but they must have planted stolen jewellery on me and tipped the cops off. I was arrested before I'd been out for half an hour. They obviously planned it."

"You have to tell someone, Katy." Julie implored her.

The teenager turned to her. All the sadness and fear had left her face, replaced by total fury. Julie was, for a split second, scared by the transformation.

"No. You cannot mention this to anyone. Not Julie, not Tina, not Pat, no one. Do you understand?" She snapped, tearing herself out of the woman's arms and pacing around the cell. "No one can know about this... this... weakness."

Julie was horrified at the way Katy had just described her trauma. At once she realised that something inside the teenager had snapped and she desperately needed help. Seeing the look on Julie's face, Katy snorted derisively.

"Don't even think about speaking to Betts." She warned. Although she made no specific threats, Julie recognised the desperation that had led so many others into doing something stupid. "The same goes for Shirley."

"Katy, I think you need help to deal with this. It's nothing to be ashamed of. It weren't your fault."

"Spare me."

"It's not. You ain't the first in here who was... I really think Miss Betts should know."

"No." The anger had gone from her face, replaced by a quiet determination that was just as frightening. As Katy's eyes flickered across Julie's face, the blonde woman saw the defensive shutters vanish and the teenager's hostility was replaced by intense vulnerability. "Please?"

With a sigh, Julie nodded. Katy smiled weakly. The older woman knew better than to crowd her, sure that the teenager needed to be alone to cry properly, so she returned to her own cell.

Moments later, Julie J appeared in their cell, smiling broadly. The smile faltered as she saw the expression on her friend's face.

"Oh, Ju, what's happened?" She asked quickly, sitting beside the smaller woman and clutching her arm.

"I suddenly don't think getting Katy that compassionate release was a good thing after all." She murmured, shaking her head despondently as her friend attempted to press her for further details.


	67. Chapter 67

"Morning." Mr Jackson said as Katy stood in the queue for breakfast on Monday morning. She barely registered that he had spoken to her, clutching her tray almost defensively. "How was the christening?"

"Oh, piss off!" She snapped, throwing her tray down and storming back up to her cell.

Just as she reached the staircase up to the second level, Beth Bayliss' smirking face appeared in the doorway of her cell. She looked the teenager up and down smugly, making Katy's blood boil. Without thinking, Katy changed direction and barged into the four-bed dorm, pinning Bayliss against the wall before she could make a sound.

"What?" She snapped, pressing her forearm against Bayliss' neck. Despite the fact that the older woman was taller, Katy held her firmly in place. "Got a problem?"

Bayliss shook her head vigorously. "No." She choked out.

"Good… 'cos otherwise me and you might have a problem and we wouldn't want that, would we?" Katy asked her, releasing her from her hold and watching as the older woman rubbed her throat. "See you later."

Katy barely had time to retreat to her cell and throw herself down on her bed angrily, when the door opened and two faces peered round it at her. Sighing, she glared at the Julies for a moment, before realising that they weren't going anywhere.

"You alright?" The Julies chorused.

"No!"

The women exchanged a look. "Why not?"

"Because this place is doing my head in!"

"It's 'cos you had a trip out." Julie S said knowingly as they seated themselves on either side of the teenager. "You'll soon settle back in."

"Yeah, soon."

"I don't want to settle in!" Katy snapped, leaping to her feet and pacing around the cell. "'Cos settling in is the same as giving up and getting institutionalised, ain't it?"

"No."

"It's not getting yourself into trouble for no reason."

"What's it to you two, anyway?" Katy muttered sulkily.

Julie S sighed. "We're just looking out for you."

Her words reminded Katy of something Ronnie had told her a long time ago. Families looked out for each other, whatever they did. That's why she'd covered up for Ben and it's why she would stick to the story about thinking Ben and Jay had smashed a windscreen.

"It really is like having a whole new family in here, init?" The teenager moaned.

"We look out for each other. All we got in here's each other." Julie J reminded her.

"It's all we got." Julie S agreed. "In 'ere we are a family."

"Yeah, well, that's great and I'm perfectly happy to play doting daughter and sister and whatever when I'm in the mood, but right now I ain't. Besides, who's gonna turn up next, my honouree Granny?"

As if on cue, there was a light tap on the cell door and it was pushed open once more. Bev and Phyl, the Costa Cons, walked into the cell and Katy couldn't help a grin expanding over her face. Likewise, the Julies were trying their best to hide the smirks that were threatening to appear on their faces.

"We just wanted to make sure you were alright." Bev said with a smile, evidently wondering why the three women were trying to hide their smiles.

"It's not like you to explode like that, especially at Mr Jackson." Phyl added.

Katy shrugged. "Yeah, well… we all have bad days, don't we?"

x-x

On Tuesday, Ruby's first birthday, whenever Katy was out of her cell at least one of her friends was hanging around her to make sure she didn't do anything stupid. They could tell that she was on the verge of cracking. Henderson and Hollamby were doing their best to wind her up, making snide comments at every opportunity. Katy switched between staring into space and completely ignoring their insults, and needing to be restrained as she launched herself into physical and verbal attacks.

When Pat returned from the block on Wednesday morning she was furious. Hollamby had put her on a rule 43 for kicking off and punching Beth Bayliss in the face during an argument about drugs. Katy had barely settled herself on Pat's bed for a catch up, when the cell door burst open.

"Thought I might find you in here, Mitchell." Henderson smirked, leaning against the doorframe. "You're wanted in the Gov's office."

"Why?"

"It's not for you to ask questions." He snapped. "Come on."

"Keep your hair on…" Katy muttered, rolling her eyes and standing up slowly.

"Oi, move. The sooner you go, the sooner you can come back to your little girlfriend."

Pat glared at him. "Piss off, knobhead."

"Catch you later." Katy told her friend, following Henderson out of the cell and down the stairs to the Association area.

As the moved towards the gates, the Julies stopped mopping and watched their progress with open-mouthed disgust.

"What's going on?"

"Yeah, where you taking here?"

Henderson rolled his eyes. "None of your business."

"I've been summoned to see Betts." Katy informed them. As Henderson unlocked the gate, she folded her arms and raised her eyebrows. "I ain't going anywhere with you. Get someone else to take me."

"I give the orders round here, not you."

"Yeah? You also beat the shit out of me, so I ain't leaving this wing until someone else comes."

They glared at each other for a couple of minutes before Henderson realised that the teenager wasn't going to back down. After snapping at her to wait there, he hurried off to the PO's office to find someone else to escort Katy to the wing governor's office.

"Good on ya, girl!" Julie S laughed, shooting her a broad grin.

Julie J nodded. "Good on ya!"

A long, loud sigh signalled that Hollamby had appeared to take over escort duty. Katy grinned at the Julies and followed the woman from the wing, ignoring her grumbling and moaning as they headed through the rabbit warren of corridors towards Karen's office. For once the teenager didn't even feel the need to wind the prison officer up, still triumphant after her victory over Henderson.

"Mitchell to see you, Ma'am." Hollamby announced, using the sickly sweet tones she always adopted when talking to her superiors. "She made a right song and dance about being escorted by Liam, so I was dragged off my tea break to do it."

"Do you blame her?" Karen asked mildly, glancing up from the files she was scrutinising. "But thank you, Sylvia."

Shooting Katy a look of pure poison, Hollamby pushed past and vanished from sight. The teenager closed the office door and sat in the chair in front of the governor's desk. Karen smiled at her, before looking back down at the files and finishing what she was doing.

"Right, Katy." She said at last, looking at the teenager and smiling again. "I wanted to talk to you about your work options. After seeing your exam results I realised that working in the laundry isn't your best option. I'd like you to think about taking education classes instead; maybe you could start a further education course?"

"What's the point of that?" Katy asked. "I'm in here for another five months for the Burglary charge and then there's the perverting the course of justice charge which, if I'm found guilty, Ritchie said I'll probably get a suspended sentence with the extenuating circumstances. Even if I don't I won't get that long. You can't do a degree in five months, can you?"

"You could make a start. It would be far more use to you than folding sheets."

"Thanks, but no thanks."

"If you're sure…"

"I am." The teenager nodded. "But… if you really think I can do better than the laundry, d'you think you could get me made up to a redband, like Tina and the Julies?"

"You want to work in the kitchens?"

"I'm not great at cooking… maybe something more office related?" Katy asked, smirking slightly.

Karen rolled her eyes and returned the smirk. "I'll see what I can do."

"Thanks, Miss." Katy said. Then she lowered her tone slightly. "I've had an idea. You want to solve the drugs problem on G-Wing and so do I."

"You want to get one over on Beth Bayliss." Karen said cynically, leaning back in her chair and narrowing her eyes.

The con shrugged. "That is a bonus, I admit." She agreed. "But I ain't a fan of drugs either. Three of my mates died when I was a kid 'cos of them."

Karen sighed. "Look, I've got a new intake coming in today, so I haven't got time for all this now."

"Alright, fine… just… spin the cells because I know she's got something to hide."

There was a long pause while the wing governor considered the teenager carefully. She didn't like being told what to do by anyone; at work or in her personal life. On the other hand, Katy was offering her a way of finding out what the drugs situation was once and for all.

"This evening after dinner." She said at last. "Not a word to anyone."

"Course not." The teenager agreed, nodding.


	68. Chapter 68

"Are you thick or what?" Someone was shouting as Katy descended the staircase from her cell when she'd returned to the wing after her conversation with Karen.

Curiously, the teenager headed towards the serving hatch. Katy rolled her eyes, wondering when someone wasn't going to be kicking off in this place. Grabbing a tray, she leant against the wall at the back of the queue for dinner.

"Oi, I'm talking to you!" The voice continued.

Glancing up, she spotted someone she didn't recognise at the front of the queue, shouting at Tina. Her friend was staring back at the woman, looking upset. As the woman raised her hand and pointed angrily at Tina, Katy handed her tray to the woman in the queue in front of her and moved forwards, not about to let Tina get upset.

"Oi?" She snapped. "What's your problem?"

"This dozy cow."

"I didn't do nothing, Katy." Tina argued, blinking at her. "Well… not on purpose."

Katy glanced down and realised that the woman's plate and dinner were covered in tea, no doubt spilled from the overturned mug beside it on the tray.

"It was an accident." She shrugged, trying to calm down the situation. "Tina'll get you a new meal, won't you, T?"

"Yeah, course." The woman nodded at once, hurrying off to get a spare plate.

The newcomer rounded on Katy angrily. "What's it to you? Who d'you think you are? The boss of this place?"

"No…" The teenager answered quietly, looking her up and down. "But you upset my mates and you upset me. That ain't the cleverest thing to do, is it Bayliss?"

She turned and looked at Beth who was sitting at the table behind her. Beth glanced up at the two women for a moment and scowled, before turning her attention back to her dinner.

Before either of them could say anything else, another woman appeared beside them, clutching the stranger's arm. "Sorry…" She apologised quickly. "My sister can get a bit carried away."

"Your sister?" Katy asked, arching an eyebrow. "You better keep her on a lead in future."

Nodding, the second woman picked up the new meal Tina had dished out and pulled her sister away to sit at one of the tables furthest from the serving hatch. Katy watched them for a moment, before turning back to her friend. Tina still looked shaken and the teenager smiled reassuringly at her.

"You alright, T?"

"Yeah… thanks, Katy."

With a wink, the teenager returned to her place in the queue, taking back her tray and flashing a grin at the woman who had been holding it for her. Broodingly, she waited as the queue slowly got closer and closer to the hatch. She wasn't the boss of G-Wing, as the woman had put it, and she didn't want to be. Being Top Dog involved far too much effort, not to mention the trouble she'd find herself in. All Katy wanted was a quiet life until she could get out of here; unless someone was picking on her mates, then she couldn't just stand back and watch. She sighed; who was she kidding, Katy Mitchell living a quiet life? Not a chance.

Heading to a table of her own, Katy started eating her dinner thoughtfully. She was so deep in thought that she didn't notice when someone sat opposite her, until they cleared their throat. Looking up, she found herself looking into the face of the woman who'd apologised for her sister's behaviour.

"Hi."

"Alright." Katy nodded.

"Look… I just wanted to say sorry for Sam, my sister." She said softly. "She's always had a problem with her anger. She can't help it, it's just who she is…"

"Right, well… she might wanna learn to deal with that or she's gonna end up in trouble."

The woman nodded. "Yeah, I know. I'm Nina, by the way."

"Katy."

"How long you been in here? What did you do?" Nina asked, obviously trying to make conversation.

The teenager looked at her suspiciously for a moment, not sure whether she wanted to get dragged into a conversation at the moment. "Not that long… got sent down two and a half weeks ago for twelve months for Burgalry. I was in here on remand for about two weeks before that. You?"

"I got eighteen months for ABH and Sam got 2 years for GBH."

"Jesus… what did you do?"

"We were out and a guy started getting heavy. I pushed him away, but he grabbed me, so I punched him in the face and broke his nose. Sam started kicking him when he was on the ground and cracked a few ribs, so she got done for GBH."

"You could be out in half that time, with good behaviour." Katy reasoned. Then she glanced over at Sam. "As long as she learns to keep control of her temper, that is."

Nina smiled grimly. "Easier said than done."

"How old are you? Is it your first offence? Sounds like a pretty severe sentence."

"We're twenty." The girl informed her with a sigh. "Yeah, first offence… apparently the guy's dad was a barrister or something, so they came down hard on us."

"Bloody hell." Katy whistled at the injustice. "Typical, though." She realised that Nina looked as though she was about to cry. "Listen, just keep your head down and you'll be OK. And stay away from Beth Bayliss and her little gang, or you'll be a junkie before you can say no."

"Thanks." The older girl nodded, smiling weakly.

Katy returned the look, before taking her tray to the pile and going back to her cell. She thought about the blonde newcomers for a moment, wondering what they'd be like. She assumed that Sam might cause a bit of trouble and try and make a name for herself. Her twin sister, on the other hand, seemed as though she'd keep her head down.

x-x

Just after lockup that evening the unmistakable sounds of cell spins being carried out reached Katy's ears. She grinned, leaning back against the wall behind her bed and carried on reading her book. When the door of her own cell was unlocked and pushed open, Katy barely looked up.

"Come on, Mitchell, out of the way." Hollamby sniffed as she and Mr Parkinson entered, preparing to search for banned objects.

"Knock yourselves out." She said with a smile, moving to wait by the door, before adding in a low voice, "Literally, preferably."

"I heard that." Hollamby told her.

Katy pretended to be surprised. "Heard what, Bodybag? I mean Miss."

"In your position, you can't afford to be so–"

"What position would that be?" The teenager asked, arching an eyebrow and leaning lazily against the doorframe.

Going red with annoyance, Hollamby was about to reply that if she didn't watch it Katy would find herself on report when Parkinson straightened up and turned to face them. In his hand he held the almost empty freezer bag which was the only evidence left of the vodka Shirley had smuggled in. He opened it and took a sniff, before passing the bag to Hollamby who copied his actions and smiled triumphantly.

"Well, well, well… just wait 'til Madam sees this. You're already in her bad books for one reason or another. You'll be in even bigger trouble after this." She gloated.

"Why? What is it?" Katy asked innocently.

"You know very well what it is, Mitchell. Come on, it's down the block for you."

"I don't understand what you're talking about, Miss." The teenager continued, keeping up her innocent routine. "It's just a bag, ain't it? Besides, I've never seen it before."

"Out, now!"

Smirking, Katy allowed herself to be directed towards the stairs. She was very pleased to see Beth Bayliss and her little gang in the four-bed dorm being similarly escorted off the wing.

"I hope you're gonna piss test those cows." Katy shouted after them.

Bayliss turned at the sound of her voice and started angrily struggling against the screws holding her arms. "This is down to you, ain't it Mitchell? I'm gonna get you for this, you stupid bitch!"

"Yeah, course I grassed, Bayliss. I went and busted myself an' all, didn't I?" Katy snapped back. "Try and grow a brain while you're down the block, eh?"


	69. Chapter 69

When Karen appeared in Katy's cell in the segregation unit the next afternoon, the teenager knew without a shadow of a doubt that she was in big trouble. The wing governor's lips were pressed so tightly together that they made a thin line across her face and, with her eyes slightly narrowed, the anger Karen was feeling was evident.

"So… you decided to take absolutely no notice of my warning about the cell spins?" She snapped, folding her arms.

"No, I let them find the vodka." Katy told her quietly, countering Karen's anger with her own calmness. "Straight away Bayliss started throwing accusations that I'd grassed. But why would I grass and get myself on report as well?"

Karen paused for a moment, looking at her sternly, before she spoke. "Shirley warned me that you were devious."

"Me?" The teenager replied innocently. "Besides, it was only vodka. I ain't gone near drugs and I don't intend to, either."

"Good."

"So? How long am I gonna be down here?"

With a sigh, Karen shrugged. "A couple of days… five days, alright? Sylvia's calling for you and Beth Bayliss to be put in the same cell so you can knock seven bells out of each other. And don't even start," She added, holding up her hands as Katy grinned and opened her mouth to speak, "because it's not going to happen."

"You piss tested her though, right?"

"Yeah, she tested positive for heroin."

"I told you." Katy shrugged.

"Don't get smug." The governor warned, pointing at the teenager. "Sylvia and Henderson are on my case about making an example of you."

"Like what?"

"Loss of remission, loss of spends, couple of weeks in here…"

"You are joking?" Katy asked, looking disgusted. "All that for a tiny pissing amount of vodka?"

"They don't like you, Katy." Karen reminded her with a sigh. "It's as simple as that."

"So it's victimisation, ain't it? I can sue for that."

Karen exhaled sharply. "Don't be ridiculous. All you can do is keep your head down and stop winding them up."

"You're kidding?"

"You don't realise how much of a fuss I kicked up when Henderson attacked you and look where that got us; nowhere."

"So what? I've just got to play the good little girl and put up with whatever shit they throw my way?" Katy demanded, pacing around the tiny cell. She chewed her thumbnail, hugging herself in an attempt to find some comfort. "You know I can't do that, Karen. I can't just stand back and… I'm screwed."

Stepping forward, the wing governor took hold of the teenager's upper arms gently. "You need to calm down."

"I can't calm down."

Looking hard at the teenager, Karen stepped backwards. "Maybe you should see the doctor?"

"Why?"

There was a long pause. "Don't get angry, she didn't think she had a choice."

Katy's heart sank and she thought she knew what was coming next. "Who?"

"Julie Saunders came to see me."

"Interfering cow!" The teenager snapped turning away and hammering her fist into the cell wall. "I told her not to say anything!"

"She was trying to help and she didn't know how else to go about it." Karen said firmly, realising that now was not the time to take the softly-softly approach. It might lead to a shouting match, however one-sided, but the only way to deal with this situation was to take a hard-line.

Katy was so angry that she couldn't even look at Karen. "Yeah? Well did you fill her in on the rest of my life as well? Did you tell her about the stuff you heard at my trial? Are the whole of G Wing gonna know that I did deals with criminals to survive or that I got pregnant at fourteen?"

"Of course not!" Karen defended herself. "If that was going to come out Sylvia would have said something a long time ago. I warned her to keep her mouth shut and she has, so far. But, there's something else… I spoke to your sister. She filled me in on a few things that–"

"You did what?" Katy shouted, turning back to face the older woman. Her eyes flashed dangerously and for a moment Karen thought she was about to punch her. "You had no right!"

"How can I help you if I don't know what's going on?"

"I DON'T WANT YOU TO HELP ME!" Katy screamed. "I don't need anyone to help me!"

"Look, I've arranged for Ronnie to come in and see you–"

Katy shook her head, speaking so quietly that Karen barely heard her. "No."

"You obviously need–"

"I said, no! What part of that wasn't simple enough for you to understand?"

"I thought that, seeing as you missed her birthday on Tuesday, Ronnie could bring Ruby in to see you."

Katy hesitated and the cogs in her mind were almost visible. Then she shook her head. "No."

Karen narrowed her eyes. "Why?"

"Because Ronnie is worse than Guantanamo Bay when it comes to interrogations and I ain't in the mood."

"So you're seriously going to turn down the chance to see your daughter because you can't face your sister?" Karen snorted derisively. "I never had you down as a coward."

"I ain't scared of Ronnie."

"No? But you're scared of what she might say to you, aren't you? You're scared of what she might force you to realise; that you need support to get through this."

"I don't need nothing from no one. I never have." Katy told her stubbornly. "Now piss off and leave me alone."

Karen rolled her eyes. "I've got a son and he was a terrible teenager, so I've heard every excuse and threat in the book. I'll leave you to sulk in peace."

No sooner was the cell door closed, than Katy pulled off her shoe and threw it against the metal door with a loud crash. From outside, the teenager heard the low chuckle that she recognised at once as belonging to the wing governor.

"I've had plenty of that as well." Karen informed her, opening the hatch in the door and smirking at the furious expression on Katy's face. "Now calm down and you'll be out of here in no time."

x-x

"Alright, Katy, darlin'?" Julie Saunders' voice came through the hatch in the door that was opened so that they could push a tray with her dinner on it into the cell. "Grub's up."

"I want a word with you, Saunders." Katy snapped, jumping to her feet and crossing to the door. "I hear you've been blabbing to Betts."

There was a pause and Julie slowly bent down to look through the hatch, a deeply apologetic look on her face. "I'm really sorry, sweetheart. I just thought… maybe Miss Betts would know how to help you. I ain't told no one else… except…"

"Except Julie?"

"Well, yeah, but we're like one person, ain't we, so it's like I ain't told no one." Julie reasoned.

"No one." Julie J echoed.

"I might have known you'd be there too." Katy muttered grumpily. Her bad mood had been receding steadily all afternoon and now she was clinging to the remnants of it in an attempt to make the Julies feel guilty. "How would you like it if I told Betts something you'd never told anyone else?"

"You never told no one?" Julie asked, sounding incredulous.

"Never?"

Katy shook her head. "Not even my sisters. They only knew the bare minimum."

"Well maybe it's a good thing Betts knows, then." Julie reasoned. "'Cos talking about it has to be better than keeping it bottled up, don't it? Anyway, Betts is one of the good ones. She ain't a bleedin' bastard screw like the others."

"That ain't the point, Ju!" Katy said, aware that she was sounding like a whiney child. "I asked you not to tell anyone. I wouldn't even have told you if you hadn't come to see me at that moment. Besides, it happened ages ago and I've dealt with it."

Julie snorted. "You ain't even started dealing with it, darlin'. How could you?"

Katy glared through the hatch before pushing the tray back towards them. "I ain't hungry."


	70. Chapter 70

Katy was eventually allowed off the block and returned to the wing. Everyone was already locked in their cells for the night by the time she got back, but the teenager banged on the Julies' door as she passed, letting them know she was back.

"How you feeling?" Julie J shouted once the screws had retreated.

"I'm fine." The teenager replied shortly.

"We're really sorry, love." Julie S called, more quietly.

"Yeah? Well… I'm tired. I'll speak to you tomorrow." Was all the response they got from the teenager.

Although Katy was tired, she was either too tired or not tired enough to sleep. She lay awake in her hard, narrow bed for hours listening to the shouted conversations taking place around her. The Nightcalls had annoyed her when she had first arrived at Larkhall, but now the teenager found them comforting. In the block, away from everyone else, she had missed the shouting that broke through the darkness.

Finally, though, she managed to drift off to sleep, only waking when the key was turned in her cell door the next morning. She moved through the usual routine – shower, breakfast, morning work, lunch – without really thinking about what she was doing.

When they were unlocked after post-lunch lockup, the teenager headed straight to the telephone and punched in Shirley's mobile number. She needed to ask her advice about what she should do. Apart from that, Katy just wanted to hear her voice.

The call went to answerphone. Swearing under her breath, Katy tried the houseline and was surprised when Ronnie's voice reached her from the other end of the line.

"Katy?"

"Ron… what are you doing there?"

"I've come round to get some stuff for Shirl."

"How is she?" Katy demanded at once. "I tried her mobile but she didn't answer."

"She's really not good." Ronnie sighed. "She's left Phil and she's drinking herself stupid. Shirley is really not dealing well with this situation."

Leaning against the wall, Katy closed her eyes. When she spoke, her tone was bitter. "This is all my fault. If only I'd told the truth about–"

"No, Katy." Her sister replied at once, her tone as hard as the teenager's was bitter. "This is not your fault. And this isn't just about Heather or Ben or Phil. This is about Shirley and a whole list of things that have happened in her life. You being sent to Larkhall and what Ben did have just dragged other things back up."

"So it is my fault."

"You didn't ask to get sent down, Katy." Ronnie reminded her.

"There must be something I can do?"

"You can keep your head down until you get out."

"When will that be?"

"Ritchie's working on it." Was all Ronnie would say.

Katy sighed and said her goodbyes, sending out the usual messages to be passed on to her family and friends. When she hung up, she made her way up to the Julies' cell and pushed the door closed behind her.

"You want me to forgive you?" Katy asked, shooting the two blonde women a hard look. Something had been on her mind since she'd been sent to the block and now, after her conversation with Ronnie, it seemed more important. "Then I want to know about how Shirl nearly died."

"How's that going to help anything?"

"Because I want to know. Before I got sent to this place I didn't know anything and now I know there's stuff being kept from me. I want to know what it is."

The Julies exchanged a glance. "Listen, darlin'…"

"No, Julie, just tell me or I'll go and ask someone else; surely Betts will know."

"She weren't here at the time…" Julie S said quickly.

"Summit about a hit and run." Her friend agreed with a nod.

"Bodybag will know." Katy persisted. "Even if I get a totally screwed version of events."

The smaller Julie sighed. "Fine, but I don't see what good it'll do anyone." She seated herself more comfortably on her bed and motioned for Katy to come and sit beside her. The teenager was briefly reminded of sitting on the bed with Amy, reading her a bedtime story. "It was after Babs' wedding. Yvonne… Shirley… had found a way to get out of this place. One of the new girls at the time, Kris Yates, had a map of the old bits of the prison with a tunnel on it that they could escape through."

"Fenner made sure that Kris couldn't go with her, by getting her put down the block." Julie J added.

"Shirl went down there, but the tunnel had been blocked up and she ended up getting trapped in one of the hanging cells. She swears it was Fenner what slammed the door on her. It was only 'cos one of the screws, Miss Geeson, went to check out the tunnel that they found her."

"Apparently Geeson and Kris Yates were together and she knew about the escape plan, so she went to check it was still OK to get through."

Julie S nodded. "They found Shirl just in time. She was on the hospital wing for weeks. Shirl stuck to her story that she'd been lured there by Fenner, but he denied it, obviously. No one believed him except the screws; we all know he was a lying bastard."

"But someone must have told him about the plan in the first place." Julie J pointed out with a meaningful look. "Kris and Miss Geeson wouldn't have, 'cos that would have screwed things up for them, wouldn't it? The only other person what knew about Shirl's plan was another screw, Hedges. Him and Shirl were thick as thieves for a bit, 'til she realised what a shit he was."

"It must have been him what tipped off Fenner."

Katy looked at them for a moment, her eyes narrowing. "What happened to Hedges?"

"I dunno… he got sacked I think…" Julie looked at the teenager suspiciously. "Why? What you thinking?"

"It's 'cos of him Shirl nearly died, init?"

"Yeah, but she didn't. Besides, it was years ago, love. There ain't nothing you can do about it."

"And even if there was, Shirl wouldn't want you to, would she?" Julie J reasoned. "She wants you out of this place, not doing a life sentence in 'ere."

Her eyes filling with tears, Katy grabbed the hands of the two women on either side of her without looking at them. "She's losing it out there. Ronnie said she's acting mental and drinking herself stupid. Shirl was there for me when I needed her and now I can't do nothing to help her."

"Yeah? And getting done for killing a screw is gonna help her?"

"It might." The teenager replied stubbornly.

The Julies rolled their eyes. "How, exactly? You know it won't and anyway, it ain't an option. We ain't seen Hedges since… well, since just after Pat got here."

"You ain't no killer." Julie J told Katy softly.

"I could be." Katy retorted, feeling like a child being told off.

"No, you couldn't." Julie S said equally softly, shaking her head. "You're just a scared kid."

"I am not!"

The women laughed fondly at how indignant she sounded, tightening their grip on her. "Yeah you are, mate. You don't like the fact that Shirl's hurting and that you can't do anything about it, so you're lashing out. That's why you've been acting like some kind of demented moron for the past couple of weeks."

"A demented moron." Julie J echoed, nodding.

"I ain't been acting like a demented moron!" Katy argued defensively, trying to pull away from the women.

"Yeah, you have."

"You have."

"And now you need to stop." Julie S commanded. "I know you and Miss Betts don't get on," secretly Katy grinned at how well their plan to fool everyone was working, although she supposed at the moment they weren't exactly acting, "but she's alright. She'll help you if you let her. And you do need help, mate, whatever you say."


	71. Chapter 71

As Katy waited for her visitors to arrive on her next visiting day, she twisted in her seat to smile at Julie S who was awaiting her own visit. The blonde woman beamed back at her and waved. She had been talking about her son, David, bringing her granddaughter, Ashanti, to see her for days.

The door finally opened and Katy grinned as Lola appeared, glaring at the prison officer who was ushering her inside. Behind her, Jay grinned and waved, bouncing Ruby on his hip as they made their way through the tables to greet her. Katy stood and carefully hugged the younger girl, careful not to crush the baby in her arms.

"Sit down, Mitchell." Henderson snapped at her across the room. "You know the rules."

Flicking him a very rude sign, which was hidden from his view by her cousins who were standing between them, Katy completely ignored his command. When she'd hugged Jay as well and taken Ruby out of his arms, they sat down and the teenager smiled at her cousin's daughter.

"So, this is Lexi, eh?" She cooed, leaning forward and stroking the baby's cheek gently. "She's gorgeous, Lo."

"Thanks."

As Katy glanced up, she saw that her cousin was looking at her curiously. Grinning, she leant back in her chair, moving Ruby so that she was more comfortable and laughed.

"What? You surprised at how normal I look?"

Lola shrugged. "I wasn't expecting… I thought you'd be more…"

"What? Greasy hair? No makeup? Possibly wearing a tracksuit?" Katy teased, laughing at the expression on her face.

"Well… yeah… but… apart from that," Lola pointed to the orange visiting vest that her older cousin had to wear, "it's just like we're in the caf or summit."

"Yeah, well, some people can just cope in prison, I guess." Katy shrugged, looking down at Ruby so that she didn't have to meet their eyes.

Jay cleared his throat, looking around carefully. "So? What's it actually like in 'ere. You never really said when I spoke to you."

"It's alright… It was the one month anniversary since I was sentenced yesterday. We should have had a party or something." Katy grinned and shrugged. "I've got some good mates." She turned and pointed to where Julie was sitting with her granddaughter on her knee, grinning happily. "That's Julie, she's lovely… it was her and the other Julie that made that dress for Rubes' birthday."

"So… d'you just get to hang around all day chatting with your mates?" Lola asked naively.

Katy grinned and shook her head. "Nah, we get up, have breakfast and then go to morning work or exercise or education. Then we have lunch and afternoon work or exercise or education. Then it's dinner, then association, then lockup. Tuesday's is visiting and at the weekend there ain't no work or education for most of us."

"Wow…" Lola muttered, looking shocked.

"So… you have to do work and stuff?"

"Yeah." Katy nodded. "You get paid for it and then you get to spend that money in the canteen on chocolate or phone credit or whatever. You get more or less, depending on what you do."

"Like what?"

"Well… I started off in the laundry and got a fiver a week. That's minimum spends in here." She explained, ignoring the scandalised looks on their faces. "But now I've been redbanded, which means I get all the privileges and stuff and I'm on fifteen a week. I got made the orderly in the wing governor's office… I'm basically a secretary. It's pretty cool."

"Bloody hell." Jay muttered, shaking his head. "You went from running a club, to working as a secretary. Fifteen quid a week… that's like two hours' work for me…"

"Yeah, well, I'm in the nick, ain't I? Besides, it ain't that bad. I'm not on minimum spends or stuffing envelopes or nothing."

Lola leant back in her seat, careful not to wake her baby. "I don't get you… it's like… it's like you're someone different."

"What?" Katy looked at her in amusement.

"You're talking about earning fifteen quid a week being someone's skivvy and it being pretty cool." Lola said seriously. "It weren't that long ago that you were telling me how running R&R was what you were supposed to do with your life."

"She's right, K… it's like you've just settled." Jay agreed.

Katy rolled her eyes. "What am I supposed to do?" She snapped. "I ain't getting out of here for a while and there's no point complaining. All that achieves is a spell down the block on my own."

"What's the block?"

"Segregation unit."

"And you've been there?"

"Maybe." She said vaguely with a shrug.

"Why?" Lola asked curiously, leaning forwards. Her eyes were sparkling with interest.

The older girl grinned. "Once for punching that bastard in the face," she pointed towards Henderson, who was glaring over at them, "and once for being drunk… amongst other things."

"Drunk? In this place?" Jay laughed. "They let you have alcohol?"

"Course not, idiot!" Katy laughed too. "But there are ways and means of getting anything in here." She shrugged and glanced at Lola. "Can I have a hold?"

Lola nodded and smiled. "Course…"

Carefully Katy handed Ruby over the table to Jay and took Lexi in her arms. She bounced her ever so slightly in her arms, looking down at the baby. Lexi opened her eyes and blinked up at the strange face looking down at her. At first, Katy thought she was going to start crying. But Lexi just made a snuffling noise and wriggled slightly in Katy's arms.

"She must like you." Lola told her with a grin. "She usually screams when she doesn't know someone."

"Got a magic touch." Katy joked.

"Like Jay… she loves him! Especially when he sings Dizzee Rascal too her."

"Dizzee Rascal?" The older girl repeated, glancing up and fixing her cousins with an amused look. "I used to sing Adele to Ruby. Or, if she was really grumpy, Eminem."

"Eminem?" Lola laughed.

"Yeah! She loved it!"

Shaking her head, the teenager grinned. "You're mental, you are."

"Time's up, ladies and gents." Henderson shouted across the room.

Instantly all three teenagers' faces fell and Katy sighed, handing Lexi back to her mother across the table. She hugged Ruby close for a moment, pressing a kiss to her forehead before passing her back to Jay.

"It feels wrong, leaving you in here…" Jay told her quietly as he gave her a long hug.

"Don't worry about me, sweetheart." She murmured in his ear. "Look out for yourself, right? Keep your chin up and shove as much of the blame on Ben as you can."

"Mitchell!" Henderson bellowed. "You've only just got back from the block. Sit down or you'll be back in that cell."

Katy reluctantly let go of the boy and sank back down into her seat. She waved as Lola and Jay left before taking a deep breath and turning to smile at Julie who was waving at her own departing family. The blonde woman had the same look on her face as Katy undoubtedly did; it came from the realisation that their half hour of normality was over and it was back to their prison lives.


	72. Chapter 72

Katy put down the book she was reading and slipped off her bed, intending to get herself a mug of vodka from her secret stash. Her sisters and Shirley had sent her a package of treats and, the older woman had repeated her trick with the sandwich bags of alcohol. She had taken two steps when the words on the television, which she'd left on to add some background noise, caught her attention.

"… This is the latest development in the case, which began some months ago. Until now the main suspect had been the fiancé of Ms Trott, Andrew Cotton, although he was cleared not long after being arrested. It is understood that Katherine Mitchell, a cousin of the two suspects who is currently serving a twelve month sentence in Her Majesty's Prison Larkhall over an unconnected incident, is also being questioned over her possible involvement in the murder." The male reporter on the television said, causing Katy to sink to the floor, almost in slow motion.

She gaped at the television, which had now moved onto a story about a woman in Basildon with twelve cats who'd discovered a priceless artefact in her attic. Katy couldn't totally understand what she'd just heard and, for a moment, had managed to convince herself that she'd just imagined it. Spots appeared in front of her eyes and the light in her cell dimmed significantly. Taking deep breaths, Katy pulled at her cardigan, suddenly far too hot in the cold room.

"Oi, Mitchell!" Bayliss' voice smug reached her through the tiny window. "Just heard your name on the news… never had you down as a murderer."

"Shut it, Bayliss!" Came Pat's angry reply from her own cell up on the 3's.

"You alright, Katy?" The Julies chorused from next door.

Katy opened her mouth to reply but no sound came out. She tried again, but the only result was a strangled cry which didn't do much to reassure her friends. There was a muffled, hurried conversation in the cell beside hers and then the unmistakable sound of the panic button reached Katy's ears. She was vaguely aware of the realisation that the Julies must have pressed it because they were worried about her, but she stayed slumped on the ground beside her bed staring blankly into thin air.

After a moment or two, she heard the Julies' cell being unlocked and then another muffled conversation. The sound of raised voices and the movement of at least one figure towards her cell partially drew her out of her daydream state.

"What's next? Being expected to send cons flowers and a sympathy card every time one of their crimes is discovered?" Bodybag was demanding as Katy's cell door opened.

As the officers took in the sight of the girl cowering on the floor they exchanged a look. Hollamby pursed her lips into a sour grimace, but Jackson darted across the cell and gently lifted her back onto her bed, crouching beside her and looking carefully into the teenager's eyes.

"Katy?" He murmured. "Can you hear me?"

"What's going on?" Julie J demanded, appearing in the doorway. "Oh… bleedin' hell, Ju!"

"What?" Her friend demanded, appearing beside her. "Katy?"

"Back in your cell, you two!" The female prison officer snapped, forcing them out of the way and slamming their door closed.

"What's wrong with her?" They shouted, banging on the metal to attract Hollamby's attention.

No doubt fearing the shouting and banging would spread, the woman stood angrily in front of the door. "Less of that, you two, or you'll be down the block."

"I think she's in shock, Sylv." Jackson told her quietly when she returned to the cell. Katy didn't seem to have made any reaction to their presence in her room, still staring blankly at the wall opposite her. "Maybe we should get the M.O.?"

Hollamby shook her head. "She'll snap out of it soon enough. As soon as she realises she isn't going to get any special treatment she'll be back to normal. She's probably just after the medication."

"How can you say that?" He demanded, working hard to keep his voice low and even. "She should be on fifteen minute watch at least!"

"Put her on thirty minute watch if you must," the woman sighed agitatedly, clearly thinking more about the inconvenience to herself than anything else, "but don't expect her to thank you for disturbing her sleep every half hour."

"You astonish me sometimes."

She smiled tightly. "That's what over fifteen years in the service does to you. You learn to recognise which cons you can trust even less than the others. She's a Mitchell and in my book that's a life sentence in itself. There's absolutely nothing wrong with her; she's just attention seeking."

"You're incredible, d'you know that?" Jackson spat, glaring at the middle-aged woman furiously. He crossed back to the teenager and crouched in front of her once more, looking at her with deep concern. She didn't even blink as he entered her line of vision.

"Just because you've got some silly little schoolboy crush on her doesn't mean she isn't a criminal, Matt. You'd do far better to steer well clear. Girls like her are trouble."

Katy felt like she was watching the scene from somewhere outside her body, none of it made much sense. She couldn't understand what was happening, but she could feel Jackson shaking with anger beside her.

"I am perfectly aware of my professional duty, Sylvia." He assured her. "And right now Katy needs more than to be dismissed as a criminal."

"On your own head be it." The woman replied with a sniff. "I'm going back to the office; my tea'll be getting cold."

Matt Jackson glared after her retreating figure, before returning his attention to the teenager in front of him once more. He wasn't entirely sure what to do, but he knew that he had to do something. After a couple of moments, he stood and moved through the cell door. Unlocking the cell beside Katy's, he beckoned the Julies out.

"I don't think it's a good idea to leave her alone. Can she stay in your cell?" He asked, unsure whether he was doing the right thing.

The two women nodded quickly, before passing him and moving to Katy's side. Julie S gently led the teenager out of the cell, while Julie J and Jackson carried her mattress next door, creating a makeshift bed on the floor between the two beds. Leaving them to get her settled, Jackson headed down the stairs to inform Sylvia what he had done, before going to see whether Karen was still in her office.

x-x

It took a couple of days for Katy and the murder to stop being the main topic of conversation. She kept her head down and did her best to ignore the snide comments sent her way by Beth Bayliss and her friends. Sometimes she was unable to keep her temper under control and ended up down the block several times.

Time passed slowly for Katy in prison. She avoided the awkward questions and sympathetic glances that were sent her way and put on a brave face when her friends and family came to see her on her visiting days.

As she'd expected, Sam Nash had fallen in with Beth Bayliss and her junkie gang, but the newcomer's twin sister had become good friends with Katy, Tina, Pat and the Julies. Nina had even requested to move out of the cell she was sharing with her sister so that she could share with Tina instead.

September turned into October and, as the days crept past and November arrived, Katy almost felt glad that she was away from everything that was going on in Albert Square. The gossip and information that reached her from the outside world worried the young mum and amused her in equal measures. The knowledge that Lola had lost her baby sent shockwaves through the teenager and she, irrationally, worried that Ruby would be taken as well. When Ronnie assured her that that wasn't going to happen and that there was a Mitchell plan to get Lexi back, she calmed down somewhat.

Without even meeting Sharon, Katy was suspicious of the blonde; understanding why she had agreed to pose as Phil's fiancée, but not trusting her true intentions. She'd spoken to Shirley a lot since the fearsome blonde had left the Square with her daughter and grandson and passed on everything she was told about the happenings in Walford. Shirley had told Katy not to worry about it, to concentrate on herself and her own problems and let Phil make his own mistakes. The teenager couldn't honestly believe the older woman's assurances that she didn't care what trouble he got himself into, but she let the issue drop.


	73. Chapter 73

_**A/N: Guys... I've been so bad. I've watched about five episodes of EastEnders since the summer! I'm getting withdrawl symptoms. **_

_**Then I watched last Monday and Tuesday's episodes and gave myself a talking to. So now you have a new chapter!**_

_**This is dedicated to everyone who's been patient enough to stick with it!**_

_**x**_

* * *

There seemed to be some kind of riot taking place in the association area below. With a sigh, the teenager retreated into her cell once more, knowing that before long she'd be shut inside anyway when a lockdown was called. In the four months she'd been in Larkhall, Katy had got over the initial excitement of the many fights that broke out on the wing and tended to ignore them as far as possible.

The sounds from outside the cell got louder and Katy frowned, trying to work out what was going on. It seemed as though whoever was arguing had stopped outside her door. Climbing wearily to her feet once more, she moved slowly to the entrance and peered out.

As her eyes fell on the commotion taking place just long the balcony from her cell door, she sighed. Beth Bayliss was shouting and screaming, obviously high on something or other. Glancing over the railings, Katy couldn't see any of the officers coming to help the Wing Governor, who was trying to deal with the situation on her own. Pat was leaning on the railings across the staircase, frowning slightly, but didn't seem to be intending to do anything about the events unfolding in front of her.

Wondering what to do, not wanting to leave Karen to face Beth in such a state, Katy retreated into her cell as the Con advanced on the Wing Governor, forcing her backwards along the balcony. The teenager realised that things were definitely getting out of hand as she spotted something glinting in Beth's hand and realised that she must have a weapon of some sort. Making up her mind in a split second, Katy's fist shot out as Beth drew level with the doorway. Her punch connected with the side of the older woman's head and sent her stumbling into the railings running along the balcony. It was enough for Karen to knock the weapon out of her hand, kicking it in Katy's direction.

Hitting the panic button inside her cell, the Mitchell bent and picked up Beth's weapon – a razor blade attached to a pencil. She frowned at it for a moment. Then she put in on top of the cupboard in her cell and leant against the wall in the corridor.

"Oops… my hand slipped." Katy apologised sarcastically, folding her arms and smiling tightly.

"You cow!" Beth screamed, leaping at her.

As Karen restrained the older con, holding her arms tightly as she attempted to get to the Mitchell, Katy smirked. "Yeah? What are you gonna do about it, Bayliss?"

"That's enough!" The Wing Governor ordered, relief appearing on her face as two officers appeared on the 3's and took over restraining Beth. "Get her down the block. Katy; my office."

Sighing theatrically, the teenager followed the blonde woman down the stairs and off the wing, shooting a wink at her friends as she passed. She knew that she would have to be punished for punching Bayliss, but she hoped that Karen would go easy on her seeing as she had technically saved her from possibly being stabbed. As she slumped into their chair opposite the woman's desk, Karen closed the door and settled herself in her own seat, sighing deeply.

"What is it?" Katy asked, furrowing her eyebrows and leaning forward slightly. Since she'd been in Larkhall, she and Karen had got closer and the woman had filled the gap that first her mother and then Shirley had left. "Karen? What's wrong?"

"Your trial… the perverting the course of justice trial… it's tomorrow."

The teenager went cold. She leant back in the seat and closed her eyes, exhaling sharply. "Why didn't you tell me before?"

"I didn't want you to worry more than you had to." Karen told her, moving around the desk and perching in front of Katy. She reached out and squeezed the girl's leg reassuringly. "The main part of the trial is over, it's just the sentencing tomorrow. You'll be in the dock with the other defendants, your cousins. The jury will say whether they've found you guilty or not and then the judge will give you your sentence."

"D'you think I'll do more time?"

Karen shrugged and shook her head. "I don't know, love. It could go either way."

Katy nodded, taking a steadying breath. "Who's taking me?"

"Matt Jackson and Sylvia Hollomby." The woman told her. Katy nodded slowly, wondering how bad it could get.

x-x

The next afternoon, Katy found herself being shown into the courtroom and into the dock, where her handcuffs were removed. She smiled weakly across the room at her sisters and Jack who were sitting with Phil and another blonde woman who Katy guessed must have been Sharon. She narrowed her eyes slightly as she took in the woman's appearance. But then she felt Jay slide his hand into hers.

"It'll be alright, darling'" Katy whispered as everyone stood up at the arrival of the judge.

They sat through a recount of the events surrounding Heather's death. Katy tightened her grip on Jay's hand as she listened to what was being said, guilty that she was coming out of the barrister's speech in such a good light compared to her cousin when they had been in exactly the same position that night.

Finally, the judge cleared his throat and turned to the jury. "Taking into account all the circumstances, on the charge of manslaughter, how do you find the defendant Benjamin Mitchell?"

"Guilty."

Beside the older teenagers, Ben barely reacted to the pronouncement from the foreman of the jury. The judge ignored the muttering from the gallery and Phil's defeated growl.

"Benjamin Mitchell, you have been found guilty of the manslaughter of Heather Trott on March 21st 2012 and, taking into account all factors relevant to this case, I am sentencing you to four years imprisonment. You will serve no less than three years before you are eligible for parole." The judge turned back to the jury. "Taking into account all the circumstances, on the charge of perverting the course of justice, how do you find the defendant James Mitchell?"

"Guilty."

Katy felt her cousin's grip on her hand tightening and winced slightly as he threatened to cut off her blood supply. She moved her free hand to squeeze his arm, her heart sinking as she contemplated Jay receiving a custodial sentence.

"James Mitchell, you have been found guilty of perverting the course of justice after the manslaughter of Heather Trott on March 21st 2012 and, taking into account all factors relevant to this case, I am sentencing you to fifty hours of community service."

Katy breathed a sigh of relief, rubbing Jay's arm in celebration that he had been spared prison. Then she took a deep breath as the judge turned to the jury for the third time.

"Taking into account all the circumstances, on the charge of perverting the course of justice, how do you find the defendant Katherine Margaret Mitchell?"

"Not guilty."

"Katherine Margaret Mitchell, you have been found not guilty of the perverting the course of justice after the manslaughter of Heather Trott on March 21st 2012. Therefore, on these charges, you are free to go." The judge informed her.

The girl couldn't believe what she was hearing. She had been found guilty of a crime she was innocent of and innocent of a crime she had actually committed. Everything was backwards. Glancing towards the gallery, she saw Ronnie and Roxy beaming at her with Jack grinning happily beside them.

"Congratulations." Jay murmured, pulling her into a tight hug.

"Babe... Community service is better than prison." She told him gently. "If I could do some of it for you–"

He shook his head. "You're already doing time you don't deserve. I'm glad they found you innocent of this."

Before Katy had the chance to reply, the door to the dock was opened and prison guards appeared to reattach hers and Ben's handcuffs and lead them out of the back entrance of the courthouse to the two prison vans that were waiting to transport them back to where they'd come from.


	74. Chapter 74

A few days later it was visiting day and Katy was more excited at the prospect of a visit from her sisters than she had been on their previous visits. After being found not guilty of perverting the course of justice on Monday afternoon, the teenager's spirits had been raised and she was starting to feel much more positive about things. She had even spoken to Karen about her appeal that evening when she returned from court and been told that Ritchie was waiting to hear about a date. Although she doubted it would be before Christmas, Katy could help keeping her fingers crossed it would be in the next couple of weeks. Even if her sentence wasn't overturned, at least it gave her some tiny spark of hope.

Katy almost bounced into the visitors' room and dropped into the chair Bodybag was directing her too. The Julies, who were both expecting visits from their children, laughed at her excitement, pleased to see that she had cheered up. The teenager was on her feet as soon as the door opened and people were ushered in. She pulled both blondes into tight hugs, before pressing a kiss to her niece and nephew's heads and plucking her daughter from her older sister's arms, swinging her into the air.

"What's got into you?" Ronnie asked, laughing softly at the girl. She couldn't get over the transformation in her youngest sister since the last time she'd seen her. Katy had barely been able to raise a smile a fortnight ago. "You look like you've had a personality transplant."

"It's nearly Christmas, ain't it?" Katy reminded her, inadvertently reminding all of them that she wouldn't be around to celebrate with them. There were a couple of moments of silence as the three sisters brooded over this fact. Then the teenager grinned. "And I got found not-guilty on Monday and Jay avoided prison."

"And Ritchie's got you an appeal date. Well, it's actually a retrial because of the new evidence that's come to light." Roxy told her, wincing slightly as Ronnie nudged her in the ribs and rolled her eyes.

The brunette looked between her sisters open-mouthed. She glanced down at the top of her daughter's head, trying to get her head around what she'd just heard. "A date? When?"

"A week."

"No way?" Katy gaped at the women. "Wha… how…?"

Roxy laughed and leant across the table, squeezing her hand excitedly. "Ritchie pulled a few strings and whispered in a few ears and got you an appeal hearing on the fourteenth."

"The fourteenth? That's a week today and that's… that's before… so… I might be home for Christmas? Oh my god… Ron, Rox… that's amazing!"

"Don't get your hopes up too high, sweetie." The older of the blondes cautioned. "I don't want you to set your heart on getting out and then…"

"I know, Ron, I know." Katy promised her with a weak smile. "I know it's a longshot. But there's that tiny bit of hope and that's what's keeping me going right now."

There was a long pause as the three thought about what might happen; both good and bad. Then Ronnie took a deep breath and smiled. "We brought in a pile of Christmas cards for you. Pretty much everyone on the Square's sent you one. They'll brighten up your room."

"Ta…" Katy smiled, slightly amused by her sister's resolute refusal to call Katy's cell by its proper name; she always said room. "I would return the favour but, you know… maybe if my appeal goes well…"

"Yeah, maybe." Ronnie agreed with a smile.

"So, what's new in Walford?" The teenager asked, wanting to get back to the cheerful mood she'd started out the visiting hour in. "What's the gossip?"

"Shirl's back." Roxy told her at once. She didn't notice her sister's face falling slightly and continued. "Sharon and Phil's fake engagement is off. Lauren's fine–"

"You did tell her I was worried, right? I tried phoning, but it was engaged and you know what it's like in this place." Katy said hastily.

Her sister nodded. "Lauren and Whitney both send their love. And Tanya said to wish you Merry Christmas and she's sorry you won't be around for the wedding."

"What's the latest on Lola and Lexi?"

"Well Phil told the social that him and Sharon aren't together no more, so they're reassessing the application. Lola's having a pretty tough time. She got all funny with me earlier 'cos I was looking after Scarlett for Michael." Roxy said with a sigh, bouncing Amy on her knees.

Katy raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, how's that going? You and Michael playing happy families?"

"It's alright…" The blonde shrugged. "Anyway it's not happy families. He offered me and Amy somewhere to live and I help out with Scarlett in return. It's not like I'm in any danger of falling for him again or anything."

"You better not." Her younger sister warned her seriously.

Ronnie laughed. "Don't worry; I've got my eye on her."

There was another long pause and then Katy spoke, frowning slightly. "So, Shirl's back?"

"Yeah, she turned up on the day of the sentencing. She wasn't best pleased when she found out that Phil was trying to foster Lexi. She's pretty much done her best to convince Lola that he's just trying to get control of her daughter." The older blonde replied with a sigh.

"Maybe Shirl's right." The teenager suggested with a shrug. "This is Phil we're talking about, ain't it? He gets what he wants and screw everyone else. I bet if he hadn't found out Lexi was Ben's kid he wouldn't be so interested. He's never given a damn about her or Lola before, has he?"

"Katy…" Roxy frowned slightly.

"It's Lola's only real chance of getting Lexi back." Ronnie pointed out. "I know it doesn't seem fair, but if she wants her daughter back then she'll have to go along with it."

"Isn't there any other way? What about you and Jack?"

Her sister laughed. "We've got enough on our plates with James and Ruby and two businesses to look after."

"If my daughter is that much of a bother–" Katy started half jokily, half defensively.

"Don't be silly, I didn't mean that."

"Good. Anyway, with any luck you won't have to look after Rubes for too much longer."

Before her sister could tell her not to get her hopes up again, the guards called time and everyone started rising to leave. The blondes hugged their little sister, assuring her that Ritchie would be in touch in the next day or so, before they left. Katy watched them leave, smiling and waving, before joining her friends at the door and leaping on them in excitement. The Julies laughed, trying to work out what her chatter meant, finally making out the gist of her words.

"So you've got a retrial soon?" Julie S asked, beaming at her.

"Soon?" Her friend echoed.

Katy nodded, pausing by the gate to the wing and waiting for the two older women to move past her. "Yeah, next week! I know, I know; I shouldn't get my hopes up. But what were the chances of actually getting a date before Christmas? That has to be a good sign, right?" She noticed a wary look passing between the Julies and sighed. "Well, even if you two have forgotten how to think positively, I haven't."


	75. Chapter 75

Katy couldn't eat any of the special breakfast the Julies and Tina presented her with on Friday morning before she went to court. She was far too nervous to even contemplate eating. Pat winked at her and switched their plates, more than happy to take the teenager's food off her hands. Katy leant forward, hunching her shoulders and wrapping her hands around her mug.

"If you get out of here…" The older con started slowly, looking as though she couldn't believe what she was about to ask. "If I sent you a visiting order…"

"Of course I'll come and visit." Katy promised at once, reaching out and squeezing her friend's hand. "I wouldn't have survived in here without you." She sighed. "But there's no guarantee that I'll be in any position to come and visit anyone. It's a longshot that they'll overturn the conviction."

"But your brief's got a new witness, right?"

"Yeah, but that don't mean anything, does it? The defence will try and rip the witness apart."

Before Pat could reply, the two blonde prisoners bounced over and settled themselves in the seats beside their friends. They launched into happy, optimistic chatter about all the things that Katy would be able to do and how excited Ruby would be about having her back for Christmas. The teenager didn't want to believe that they might be right, but their enthusiasm was infectious.

She was grateful when Karen appeared on the wing and nodded to her, signalling that it was time to go. Standing up, Katy lifted the clear plastic bag underneath the table that contained all of her belongings and smiled weakly at her friends. Tina appeared beside them as Katy pulled herself out of the Julies' embrace, smiling and crying at the same time.

"Promise you'll come and visit." Tina begged as they moved towards the gates.

Katy nodded and then smiled. "I might be back before tea."

"Fingers crossed you ain't, eh?" Pat said with a grin, folding her arms and leaning against the gate. "Good luck."

The teenager found that she couldn't reply without risking bursting into tears. She allowed herself to be searched by Bodybag, the knowledge that it had the potential to be the last time she saw the woman helping her to stay calm as the woman made her usual snide comments and digs at Mitchell's expense. Finally satisfied, the prison officer nodded and signed the paperwork that would allow Katy to leave Larkhall. Katy flicked two fingers at the woman, before quickly turning the gesture into a little wave as Bodybag turned around. Karen barely managed to disguise her laugh as a cough before ushering the teenager out of the building and into the waiting prison van.

All the way through the journey, Katy ran over what she and Ritchie had discussed in their meetings. She rehearsed what she might be asked and what she would say in her head, determined to give the appeal her best shot.

"Ready?" Karen murmured as she snapped the handcuffs around Katy's wrist and walked her towards the courtroom.

The teenager sighed. "As I'll ever be."

"Just remember what you've been talking about to Ritchie and you'll be fine." Karen assured her, still keeping her voice low. "I spoke to Shirley last night and she said she was coming to support you. Apparently they think you've got a good chance of getting the case overturned with the new witness they found."

"I wish people weren't so sure this is gonna work out…"

The blonde squeezed Katy's arm and smiled. "Just keep a level head, keep calm and tell the truth."

Nodding, the Mitchell rubbed her wrists as the handcuffs were removed and made her way into the dock. Karen followed, closing the door of the box and taking her seat. While she waited for the proceedings to start, Katy allowed herself to sneak a glance towards the public gallery. Her heart swelled as she saw how many of her family and friends had turned up to support her. Shirley, Ronnie, Roxy and Jack were all there in the front row of the gallery with Jay and Lola. Behind them Katy saw Tanya, Lauren and Whitney.

Everyone stood as the judge entered the courtroom and the appeal started. When Ritchie called the new witness to the stand, Katy leant forwards slightly to get a good view of the man as he entered the witness box. He looked to be in his early fifties and was glancing around the room nervously. Katy wasn't sure whether she believed he'd be up to questioning; he looked far too scared.

"Mr Webb, you were in the Royal Oak pub on Paulson Way on the evening of Friday July 20th this year, is that correct?" Ritchie asked, glancing at the papers spread out in front of her.

The man nodded. "Yes."

"How can you be sure? It was five months ago?"

"I keep diaries." He said, glancing nervously at the judge. "I always have done. It helps me keep things straight in my head."

"And would you mind reading us the entry you made about that evening?" Ritchie queried, motioning for the clerk to take several sheets of paper over to the witness box.

Mr Webb shook his head. "No, of course not. Umm… _Mrs Lindon asked me whether I'd seen her cat because he hadn't been in for a couple of days. I told her I hadn't. I had chicken and mushroom pie for dinner then I went to the pub. Joe was late so I sat at the bar to wait for him. There were two men with Welsh accents sitting next to me getting a bit rowdy. They made comments about a group of girls sitting at one of the tables in the corner. One of the men said something about finding a solution to their problem and then the other said that if she refused to go along with their demands then they'd put the stuff in her pockets and make the call._" He paused, looking anxiously towards Ritchie, who nodded. "_The first man said that they'd have to watch and make sure she took the bait and the second man said he knew her well enough to know that she would. They said that this time tomorrow she'd be sorry either way. Joe arrived and said he was sorry for being late but the traffic had been bad on the High Street._"

"Mr Webb, why didn't you come forward with this evidence at the time?" The judge asked, peering over his glasses and frowning slightly. "If you were concerned enough to make a note of the conversation you overheard, why didn't you report it to someone?"

At this question the man looked decidedly uncomfortable and shot another look in Ritchie's direction. "I wasn't exactly concerned about what they'd said." He admitted slowly. "They were quite drunk and I just thought that they were mouthing off. Then I went on holiday to Spain a couple of days later and didn't think anything more of it. It was only when Ms Scott approached me about whether I'd seen the men around that time that I thought about it."

"You were able to identify Paul Turley and Nathan Parry as the men you saw in the pub when questioned at the police station." Ritchie clarified, earning a nod from the man in the witness box. "Thank you, Mr Webb. No more questions, your honour."

Katy listened as the prosecution stood to question the man on his evidence. Her hands were shaking as she tried to work out whether things were going her way or not. As Mr Webb was excused from the witness box the teenager glanced towards the public gallery and received reassuring smiles and nods from her family and friends. She let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding as the prosecution called their first witness.

Shrinking back slightly, the teenager listened as first Paul and then Nathan were questioned and cross-examined by the barristers on both sides of the case. They stuck to their stories but, with the new evidence that Ritchie and her family had found, Katy couldn't help feeling slightly more optimistic as both men began to fall apart. When Ritchie asked Nathan about his claims that he was Ruby's father and showed him the birth certificate with Tyler's name on it, his expression faltered and fury flashed in his eyes as he turned to glare at Katy. His reaction caused a ripple of low-level muttering to run around the courtroom and the Mitchell took a deep breath, reminding herself that if everything went to plan it would be Nathan and Paul standing in her position before long.

Finally, after a brief lunch break, it was Katy's turn to take the stand. She spoke the oath, trying to keep her tone under control and her hands from shaking. Ritchie sent her a reassuring smile as she stood to begin the questioning.

"Miss Mitchell, when you were questioned by the police on Saturday July 21st this year, you claimed that you had been falsely imprisoned by Paul Turley and Nathan Parry."

"Yes, that was the truth."

"Then, during your trial, you claimed that you'd lied about them kidnapping you because you were angry with them after an argument. If, in fact, that wasn't the truth, why did you say it?" Ritchie quizzed the teenager, asking the question that they had rehearsed in their meetings.

"Paul and Nathan had said that if I dropped the kidnapping allegations then they'd tell the truth about where I'd been on the night of the burglary, but if I didn't they'd stick to their story that they weren't with me. I knew that without them backing up my alibi I had no hope and so I didn't think I had much choice." Katy explained, biting her lip and looking at her hands that were clutching the edge of the witness box tightly.

Ritchie went through a few more questions that she had Katy had practised and then stood down. The prosecution barrister asked things that the teenager was expecting and she was able to fend off accusations that she was bitter and jealous with relative ease. Ritchie's use of her hospital records to prove that Nathan had been violent to her in the past led to the prosecution pointing out that no charges had ever been brought against him and it could look as though she had a vendetta. Katy stayed calm, pointing out that there had been no point her reporting anything because there would have been no evidence and it would have just made things worse.

When she was finally allowed to stand down the teenager clutched at Karen for support feeling her knees threatening to collapse beneath her. With a warm smile, the blonde prison officer squeezed her arm and led her back to the dock for the final witness. Apparently Ritchie had something up her sleeve that she hadn't told the teenager about. Katy watched curiously as the woman called her witness to the stand and listened as she took the oath.

"Miss Carmichael, can you tell us where you were on the evening of Friday July 20th this year between 11:30pm and 12am?"

"I was at my friend's house until about quarter to twelve and then I walked home." The young woman answered nervously.

"Where does your friend live?"

"Lexham Mews."

"And where do you live, Charlotte?" Ritchie asked. Katy guessed that she was getting a little frustrated at the basic answers being given to her questions.

"Abingdon Road."

"So your walk home would have meant you were on Stratford Road, where the burglary was taking place, at approximately ten to midnight. Therefore, you would have seen the burglars leaving the property because we already know that they were witnessed driving away at that time."

"Yes… I saw them." The woman agreed, looking incredibly uncomfortable. She seemed to take a deep breath before answering. "It was two men. They saw me walking along the road and threatened me to keep quiet about seeing them. They said that if I went to the police they'd be able to find out where I lived and where I worked and I'd be sorry. I… I was scared… then I heard that the police had arrested someone I figured it didn't matter." She glanced up at Katy who was on the verge of falling over. "I'm really sorry."

* * *

_**A/N: Thank you DanniChappell for your review! :D**_


	76. Chapter 76

It seemed too good to be true. After Charlotte Carmichael's evidence, the jury were dismissed. They returned less than an hour later and announced that they had found Katy not guilty of burglary. The teenager had barely been able to take it in as the judge overturned the original sentence and announced that she was free to go.

A delighted cry went up from the public gallery and Katy burst into tears as Karen pulled her into a tight hug. "Hey! You're free."

"I know… but… I can't believe it." The teenager admitted, clinging onto the blonde woman and sobbing into her jacket. She took several stuttered breaths and wiped her eyes. "So, what happens now?"

"You can go home, love." Karen replied with a smile. "You'll probably have to give evidence against Turley and Parry, but that won't be for a while."

"So… I'm actually free… I don't have to go back to Larkhall at all?"

The blonde laughed, hugging her again. "Nope, not unless you're visiting."

"Bleedin' hell… this is… I can't believe it." Katy admitted.

They stepped outside the courtroom and, before the teenager could do anything, she was attacked by her older sisters who hugged her so tightly that Katy thought she was in danger of choking. She clung on tightly though, breathing in their familiar smells, before Ronnie and Roxy moved away and Shirley pulled her into a tight hug, closely followed by Tanya, Lauren and Whitney. Only when Lola moved away did Jay step forward, looking a little sheepish.

"Come 'ere." Katy murmured, hugging him tightly.

Everyone started talking at once and Katy just stood and listened, smiling when she caught someone's eye. After a moment or two, Ronnie realised that her younger sister seemed a little out of sorts and the blonde worked out that she was overwhelmed by everything.

"Right, let's get out of here. Drinks at the Vic, I think. Karen, you coming?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world." The blonde informed her warmly. "But I'd better get back to Larkhall first. I'll meet you in about… two hours?"

Whitney laughed. "After being banged up for five months I doubt Katy'll be in any fit state after two hours in the pub."

"I wouldn't count on that." Karen replied, arching an eyebrow meaningfully. "I'm well aware that Miss Mitchell hasn't been deprived of alcohol since she's been on my wing, has she Shirley?"

"I don't know what you mean, Miss." Shirley replied with a grin.

"Of course you don't."

As Karen headed away along the corridor, Ronnie and Roxy led their sister in the opposite direction. Tanya and the girls said goodbye and went to find the blonde's car in a nearby car park, while Shirley, Jay and Lola went in search of a cab. Left alone as Jack went to fetch his car, the three Mitchell sisters finally had a chance to breathe and look at each other properly.

"How do you feel?" Roxy asked gently, wrapping an arm around her younger sister tightly.

Katy shrugged. "I don't know…" She saw the slightly confused looks on the blondes' faces and smiled weakly. "Obviously I can't say how happy I am to be free and for everyone to know I'm innocent, but… it's gonna be weird, isn't it? Suddenly being able to do what I want, when I want. And everyone's going to be talking about me and looking at me…"

"Come on, kid." The younger blonde nudged her gently. "You can handle that. Besides, with Ron around you won't be able to do what you want, when you want. She won't be letting you out of her sight."

"Oi!" Their sister grumbled jokily. "I'm not that bad." She put an arm around each of her younger sisters as Jack drew the car to a halt beside them. "Come on; let's go home."

x-x

"What can I get ya, darlin'?" Alfie asked, leaning on the bar as Katy approached, slightly unsteadily and perched on the closest stool. "On the house, obviously."

"Thanks, granddad. I'll have a vodka coke, please." She asked, resting her elbows on the surface of the bar. He made the drink and handed it over with a wink. If Katy had been a little more sober she'd have spotted the sadness and strain behind the landlord's eyes. As it was, she thought that he looked tired. "You alright?"

"Course I am, titch! It's good to have you back." He assured her with another smile, before he headed away along the bar.

"Mitchell!" Lauren exclaimed, almost leaping onto her friend's back in her eagerness to give her a hug. "You don't know how much I've missed you! I am so, so glad you're back!"

"Yeah, that goes for both of us, babe." Whitney agreed, joining in the hug and squeezing the teenager tightly. "It ain't been the same round here without you. B said she's sorry she didn't make it to Court, but she was working."

"It's good to be back." Katy assured them, grinning at her two best friends. "I've missed you guys! How's your Mum? And Bianca and the kids?"

"Oh, they're all fine." Lauren assured her, flapping a hand in the older girl's direction as she dismissed her questions. "Right, here's the plan. R&R, us three, lots of drinks, right now!"

Katy shook her head. "Nah, not tonight, babe. I'm gonna head off in a bit."

"What? You can't! It's your first night back."

"Yeah, exactly! I wanna go and read Ruby a bedtime story and stuff… it's all the little, boring, everyday things I've missed most. And I want to catch up with Lola. I want to check she's alright with Phil having custody of Lexi."

"Tomorrow, then?" Lauren demanded, pouting slightly.

Katy laughed and hugged them both again. "OK, tomorrow night."

* * *

_**A/N: Hey darlings! **_

_**Katy's free! Sometimes good things do happen in Walford at Christmas! :D**_

_**Anyway, thank you all for reading and thank you to Alexandra. Xx for your review on the last chapter!**_

_**x**_


	77. Chapter 77

On Saturday morning, Katy was reluctant to leave the flat. Ronnie and Jack had gone Christmas shopping and Roxy had taken James and Amy to see Father Christmas. She had offered to take Ruby, but Katy had told her that she wanted her daughter to stay at home. Understanding, the blonde had nodded and left. She must have passed Lola on the doorstep because, minutes after the flat door closed, there was a loud banging.

Opening it and seeing her younger cousin, Katy smiled and invited her in, making them both a mug of tea while Lola told her everything that had happened about Lexi and Phil and Shirley and Sharon. The brunette listened carefully, getting more and more annoyed as the younger girl came to the end of her story.

"So you're just gonna let Phil get away with it?" Katy asked, raising an eyebrow at the younger blonde who was twisting her hands in her lap. "That don't sound like the Lola I thought I knew."

"What am I supposed to do, eh?" The girl snapped.

"You need to remind Phil who's boss. Lexi's your kid, not his. You need to fight him, Lo. Remind him that one word in the wrong direction will send Lexi straight back into care."

Lola looked horrified. "I don't want Lexi back in care!"

"No, I know. But neither does Phil. If he thinks you mean it then he'll have to start being nicer to you, won't he?" Katy reasoned.

"He knows I'd never get Lexi sent back there." The younger girl pointed out, her expression defeated.

Katy shrugged. "Maybe not. But prison changes people, don't it? He don't know what I'm capable of no more."

"He'll kill you, K."

The brunette laughed and stood up, pulling on her jacket and moving to the door. "I'd like to see him try."

"Where are you going?"

"Where d'you think?"

"Please, please don't mess this up for me." Lola begged. "You sound like Shirley; she saw me buying presents for Lexi with money Sharon gave me and said I should be fighting Phil, not helping him."

"She's right, babe. I know how hard it is to be separated from your baby. I know what it's like to only be allowed to see her when someone else says it's alright with loads of people watching you. It ain't fair." Katy told her sympathetically, bitterness creeping into her tone. "And it's worse for you, 'cos it's your own family doing it. You can't let Phil walk all over you or he'll never take you seriously."

"Phil ain't gonna like–"

"Phil can get stuffed." Katy snapped. "I don't give a shit what king Phil thinks. It's not right. And if I bump into that brainless Sharon bimbo, even better."

"What's she done to you?"

Katy looked at Lola for a moment. "She ain't done nothing to me, but if she's stupid enough to think that Phil's helping you out of the goodness of his heart – something you and I both know he ain't got – she deserves to know what I think of her. Besides, Shirl don't like her and that's a good enough reason for me."

Lola sighed deeply. "Don't mess things up, K."

"I won't, babe. Just watch Rubes for me, will you?"

With a soft click Katy closed the flat door and headed off across the Square to Phil's house as quickly as possible, keeping her head down so that no one would try and speak to her. She banged on the front door and waited impatiently for it to be opened. Her cousin stared at her in annoyance before stepping backwards and letting her in.

"What d'you want?" He demanded gruffly, turning his back on her and heading into the living room.

Katy glanced around and screwed up her nose slightly. "You've redecorated, I see?"

"Yeah, and?"

She shrugged. "It was nice to see you at my retrial yesterday."

"I had things to do." Phil informed her bluntly.

"Yeah? And I thought family was so important to you?" Katy snapped, folding her arms and glaring at the man who was scowling back. "But clearly family is only important to you on your terms. Your precious Ben, the murderer, is the only one that matters, isn't he? And now you're stealing Lola's daughter just because you've screwed up with your son and you see Lexi as a second chance."

"Shut your mouth, yeah, before I shut it for you." Phil warned furiously, stepping forward.

He hesitated as Katy stood her ground, staring defiantly back at him. Evidently he had expected her to flinch or back down or something, because he seemed thrown by her complete lack of reaction. The girl narrowed her eyes and stepped forwards, closing the gap between them even more.

"Go on then." She encouraged him in a low voice. "Go on; do your worst. I ain't scared of you, Phil. If anything you should be scared of me."

"Why's that, then?"

"Because if you don't start remembering that Lola is Lexi's Mum then I'll be only too happy to have a word with the social. There's plenty of people round here that would be only too pleased to have a go."

Phil frowned. "What? You'd rather see Lexi in care than with me?"

"No, Phil, I wouldn't." The teenager replied firmly. "But I won't stand by and watch Lexi being separated from her mother just because you're trying to prove a point. Whatever you say and do, Lola is her Mum and that's never gonna change." She watched him for a moment and almost thought she saw a flash of something go through his eyes. Pressing her advantage, she thought quickly. "You and me both know what it's like to be separated from our kids. Phil, you know how much it hurts. Don't do that to Lola and Lexi."

"Why don't you worry about your own kid and stay out of my business?"

"Because she's my cousin, so it is my business." Katy pointed out. "Don't be an idiot, Phil."

He glared at her and the girl knew that she wasn't going to be able to get through to him. With a sigh and a muttered comment that he was on the verge of losing everyone and everything, Katy left the house. She groaned as she realised that she had probably, in an attempt to help, made things worse for her cousin.

x-x

"Katy? I need a favour." Ronnie said, leaning on the back of the sofa and resting her chin on her sister's head.

The teenager looked up, smirking slightly at the unflattering angle that she was seeing of the blonde. Grumbling at the expression on Katy's face, Ronnie moved around the sofa and flopped down beside her, smiling as sweetly as she could.

"What is it, Ron?"

"Can you go into the club for me tonight? Just for a couple of hours."

Katy's heart sank slightly at the request. The idea of the loud music and all those people in such close proximity scared her slightly. She didn't want to admit to it, however, and nodded weakly.

"Thanks, sweetie. It'll only be a couple of hours, I promise."

From then until ten o'clock, when Katy had agreed to start a shift at the R&R, she tried to keep herself calm and not let on to her sisters how worried she was about it. Little did the teenager know that the blondes had come up with the idea of getting Katy to go and work for a couple of hours in order to try and ease her back into her usual life. They knew how much she had loved running the club and thought that reminding her of that was the best way to get things back to normal as quickly as possible. Ronnie had popped round to see the teenager's friends and told them that she was working, asking them to go and see her to give her a little reassurance.

So, as Katy walked into the bar, she was greeted by several familiar faces. She soon found that she fell back into the routine of bar work, almost forgetting that she had been away. She laughed and joked with her friends, flirting with customers and gossiped with her colleagues.

"Alright, love, what can I get you?" She asked, not glancing at the punter until the end of her question. "Oh… Tyler…"

He looked equally surprised to see the girl behind the bar. "Katy… I didn't know… when did you…?"

"Yesterday." She replied with a weak smile. Behind Tyler she spotted Lauren and Whitney notice who she was talking to and hurriedly start whispering to each other. "I won my retrial."

"That's… that's great. I'm really pleased for you."

"Thanks. So… how've you been? How's the business?"

"I'm good… how are you? It must be brilliant being back?"

She smiled. "Yeah. Yeah, it is."

There was a pause as the two looked at each other for a long moment. Then a girl appeared beside Tyler, sliding her arm around his neck. Katy glanced down at the bar and repeated her query about what she could get him to drink. Not meeting his eyes as she handed him his drinks and then the change, the girl scuttled to the opposite end of the bar as quickly as possible, suddenly losing all the confidence she'd regained during the evening.


	78. Chapter 78

The flat doorbell buzzed loudly and Katy looked up from here she was almost lying on the living room door watching the Christmas film that Roxy had chosen. All three sisters had seen Love Actually about a hundred times but, as Katy hadn't been around on the first of December to uphold the tradition of watching the film, the younger blonde had demanded that they watch it on Sunday afternoon instead. It had turned into a gathering with Jay, Lola and Shirley all joining them and Jack too. Sensing that her family weren't intending to answer it, the teenager climbed to her feet, clamping Ruby to her hip and going to see who was at the door.

Her mouth fell open in surprise as she saw who was on the doorstep. "Mr Jackson… hi…" She stepped forward, pulling the door almost closed behind her. "What are you…?"

"Matt, please." He said with a warm smile. "I brought you some Christmas cards."

"Oh… thanks." Katy accepted the small pile gratefully and motioned towards the flat. "I've got mine in there for Pat and the girls… I don't suppose you'd take them for me?"

He nodded. "Yeah, sure. Listen… I don't suppose you fancy a drink?"

Katy hesitated for a moment. Then she smiled. "There's a caf down Bridge Street. I could meet you there in about five minutes? I would invite you in but my whole family is in there and it could get a bit…"

"That's fine. I'll get the drinks in; what d'you want?"

"Hot chocolate, thanks. I'll see you in a minute." She replied, retreating inside and closing the door.

Frowning slightly to herself and wondering why inviting him inside would have been such an issue, the teenager returned to the flat and grabbed hers and Ruby's coats, her purse and the stack of Christmas cards she'd been intending to post to Larkhall. Quickly, she scribbled one to the prison officer she was heading off to meet and inserted it into the middle of the pile, as though it had been there all along.

"We're just popping out for a minute." She called to her family, hoping they wouldn't ask too many questions.

"What? Why?" Roxy moaned, pouting at her.

"I've got to post these and I want to pop in and see Lauren. She was moaning about her parents wedding and I said I'd go and see her." Katy lied quickly, unsure why she didn't just tell them where she was actually going.

Ronnie frowned lightly, but nodded and told her not to be too long. The teenager nodded in agreement and headed out of the flat. She glanced down at her daughter and sighed, deciding that taking the toddler meant that she had a good excuse for leaving if she wanted to.

She smiled weakly at Lucy as she entered the café, things between the two girls still a little strained, making her way towards the table in the back corner where Matt was sitting. Katy was glad that he had not chosen to sit in full view of everyone. Dropping into the seat opposite his with her back to Lucy and the counter, she smiled and settled Ruby on her lap nervously.

"I didn't know you were bringing Ruby or I'd have got her a drink too." He said, smiling at the little girl, who turned and buried her face in Katy's top.

"Don't worry; she can have some of mine when it's cooled down a bit. She loves hot chocolate thanks to her Auntie Rox." Katy informed him. "So… how are things on G-Wing? Has it fallen apart without me?"

Matt laughed. "Not really. Pat's been in a bit of a mood and Tina and the Julies are less happy than usual, but Karen got the Christmas tree delivered yesterday so that cheered them up."

"Give 'em all my love, yeah?" She requested, taking a sip of her drink. "And tell 'em that me and Rubes'll come and visit when they send me an order."

"I will." He assured her, taking a long drink from his mug. When he glanced up again he was looking slightly uncomfortable. "I understand if you don't want to… what with me having been your PO and that… but d'you want to go out sometime? For dinner or…"

Katy paused for a moment and then smiled. She found Matt's Christmas card and scribbled her mobile number on the envelope. "Just… maybe leave it 'til after Christmas, yeah? There are things I need to…"

"Yeah." Matt agreed, smiling broadly. Then he glanced at his watch and winced. "I'd better get going… I start my shift in an hour."

"I'll see you around, then." Katy replied, standing up too and hoisting Ruby onto her hip. "Remember to pass on my message to the others."

He nodded, leant forward and kissed her cheek and then left quickly. Katy stood still for a moment, thinking. Then she sighed and turned to leave, catching Lucy's eye as she did so. There was a knowing smirk on the blonde's face and the Mitchell scowled at her, not liking the fact that Lucy had witnessed her meeting Matt. She knew that it would be all over the Square by tomorrow.

"What?" She demanded, more angrily than she'd intended.

"Who was he?"

Katy shrugged. "Just someone I know. He's gonna deliver some cards for me."

"He was fit. So you and Tyler are definitely over then?" Lucy probed, tilting her head to one side as she scrutinised Katy's reaction.

"Considering he was in the R&R with some other girl the other night, I'd say so."

"Yeah and you and Mr Hottie over there."

"I said he's just a mate." Katy snapped. Then, remembering what she'd heard about Lucy and Joey from Whitney, added, "How's Joey, anyway?"

Lucy frowned and looked down. The brunette smirked triumphantly, pleased that she'd put the Beale in her place. Then she turned on her heels and left the café, deciding that she should probably go and see Lauren after telling her family that was where she was going.

Crossing the Square quickly so that she wouldn't be stopped by anyone, Katy rang the Brannings' doorbell and waited for someone to answer. It had started raining since she'd been with Matt and the teenager did her best to shield her daughter from the worst of it. It was a couple of minutes before Tanya threw open the door, not looking as though she was in the mood for visitors.

Seeing the expression on the woman's face, Katy smiled weakly. "Sorry, Tan. I was wondering if Lauren was around, but if it's not a good time…"

"Don't be silly, darlin'." The blonde assured her, her face breaking into a smile as she almost pulled the teenager into the house out of the rain. "Come on in."

"Thanks… so, how are the wedding preparations coming on? Lor said you were getting a bit stressed."

"Oh, what with Derek shoving his nose in and… oh! Don't mind me. Lauren's up in her room."

Katy smiled and started up the staircase, pausing for a moment to turn. "I'm glad your tests went well, Tan."

"Thank you, darlin'." Tanya replied sincerely, smiling for a moment, before the teenager went upstairs and she returned to the living room.

Knocking on Lauren's door, Katy pushed it open and went inside. She frowned as she saw her friend sitting on her bed, resting her back against the wall and staring blankly at the television. For some reason Lauren seemed to be watching Songs of Praise, something that worried Katy immensely.

"Lor? What's wrong?" She asked at once, sitting beside Lauren with Ruby on her lap. "Lauren?"

The younger girl started and blinked several times. "Katy? Sorry… I was a million miles away." She glanced towards the television and pulled a face, flicking through the channels for a moment before turning it off. "You alright?"

"Yeah… are you?"

Lauren smiled and pulled Ruby onto her lap, letting the toddler fiddle with her necklace. "Fine… just got stuff on my mind."

"What stuff?"

"Nothing important."

Katy snorted. "Let me be the judge of that, babe. You tell me what's bothering you and I might have some gossip for you."

"Gossip?" Lauren sighed. "Fine… I… I'm in love."

"What?" The Mitchell had to fight against the urge to laugh. "Who with?" There was a long pause as her friend stared determinedly at the top of Ruby's head so that she didn't have to meet Katy's eyes. Suddenly Katy was filled with concern at who the younger girl might be talking about. Possibilities ran through her head worryingly. "Lauren? Who is it?"

"Joey."

Thinking she'd misheard, Katy repeated the name. "Joey? What… Joey Joey? As in your cousin Joey?"

Lauren sighed. "Yes, that Joey."

"Wow… does he…?"

"Yeah. He told Lucy he was in love with someone else and I know he meant me. But he's been avoiding me and… I don't know what to do."

Katy watched her seriously for a moment. She bit her lip, all thoughts of telling Lauren about Matt's visit flying from her mind in the light of this new information. "Lor… this is Joey we're talking about. He's not exactly… well… faithful, is he? Remember what he was like when he was with Lucy?"

"This is different, K… and the same could be said of Tyler." Lauren pointed out. "We thought he was a player but then… he changed when he met you, didn't he? I think Joey's the same."

The older girl had to concede that her friend was right about Tyler. With the evidence pointed out to her so obviously she knew she had no right to argue. Luckily, though, she was prevented from having to make any further comment as the bedroom door opened and Abi appeared, smiling happily at both older girls and settling herself down in Lauren's desk chair for a catch up.


	79. Chapter 79

"Change of plan, babe." Lauren's voice came through Katy's mobile. The teenager frowned slightly, trying to juggle James, Ruby and her mobile. Amy was tugging at the bottom of her top in an attempt to get her Aunt's attention. "I'm going to Mum's hen after all. You better be there."

"I will." Katy promised distractedly. "I've just got to get the kids over to the Vic and then get changed. Ron's already with your Mum at the Salon, isn't she?"

"Yeah, she's here. I thought you'd be coming anyway, so she told me to phone you."

The older girl assured her friend that she'd be there as soon as possible and hurried the three children over to the Vic, where Jean had promised to keep an eye on them, along with Tommy. Thanking the woman and giving Roxy a quick hug, Katy hurried back to the flat to get changed, before running a brush through her hair and quickly applying makeup. She knew that everyone was getting ready at the Salon, so she didn't put too much effort in.

Sure enough, as soon as Katy walked into the room, she was propelled into a chair by Lola and Poppy, who set about making her look gorgeous. The Mitchell couldn't deny she was more than happy with the result when they were finally finished. Smiling, she moved to sit beside Ronnie, leaning her head on her sister's shoulder for a moment, before the blonde reminded her that she'd mess up her hair.

"Right!" Sharon called a while later, clapping her hands to get everyone's attention. "I think it's time we headed over to the R&R so we can show Tanya what we've got in store for her!"

Katy frowned, turning to her sister. "Why's she acting like she owns the place. It's your club, after all. Besides, she's just taken over my job…"

"Relax, Katy." Ronnie urged her gently. "Don't worry about all that tonight. Just enjoy yourself, OK?"

She nodded as they followed the others from the Salon and along the street to the club. There was no queuing and soon they were inside. Even Katy had to grudgingly admit that it looked good, with a large screen at one end of the room and rows of chairs in front of it. The teenager sat with Lauren and Whitney, at the furthest end of the row from Lucy, while her older sister sat with Bianca and Carol, chatting and laughing as Kim kicked the quiz into life.

When the quiz ended, Ronnie called her sister towards her, waving something in her face. "I've just realised I've got Roxy's phone. Can you take it over the Vic for me?"

Katy pulled a face. "Why me?"

"Because I'm your big sister and I said so." The blonde replied, planting a kiss on the top of the teenager's head and pushing her gently in the direction of the exit. "I'll make sure there's a drink waiting when you get back."

Rolling her eyes, the brunette took hold of the mobile and headed out of the club. She shivered as the freezing air hit her after the warmth of being inside. Heels clacking noisily, she walked as quickly as she could, almost falling through the door of the pub and looking around for her sister. Behind the bar, Roxy frowned slightly, before Katy held up the mobile.

"Cheers, babe." She replied with a grin, taking the phone and checking it for messages. "I thought I'd left it at home."

"Nah, Ron had it." Katy informed her. She glanced down as a remote controlled car banged into her foot, raising an eyebrow as she glanced in the direction of Max's stag party. "What's with the car?"

Roxy glared across the bar at the men as several of them raised their hands. "Don't worry about it…" She pointed at them as they all turned to Michael and started shouting and laughing. "OI!"

Shrugging, Katy turned back to her sister. "I better get going– sorry." She automatically apologised as she banged into someone, glancing up to see who it was. Forcing a weak smile onto her face, she groaned inwardly. "Hi, Tyler. Alright?"

"Yeah… yeah, I'm good. You?" He replied awkwardly,

"Yeah… Listen. Seeing as you're here, I was wanting to ask you about Christmas. D'you want Ruby Christmas Eve and then I'll pick her up on Christmas morning, or d'you want her Christmas night and Boxing Day?" Katy asked, mentally kicking herself as she spoke. She knew this wasn't the time or place to discuss this, but she didn't know what else to say.

"Whichever's easier for you." He told her quickly.

"I think you having her Boxing Day would be easier, what with the Wedding and everything." Katy said, thinking. "Max and Tanya's Wedding, I mean. Obviously…"

From the table in the corner was a roar of laughter and Tyler glanced up. "That sounds great. I'd better…"

As he retreated quickly, Katy groaned and rested her head on her arms on the bar. Roxy sighed and leant on the bar too. "Why don't you just apologise to him?"

"Why would I do that?"

"It's obvious that you still love him and he still loves you." The blonde pointed out. "What's the point in all this messing around?"

"I'm actually leaving." Her sister informed her, completely ignoring the question. "See you later."

On her arrival back at the club, Katy walked in to the sound of the Full Monty playing and the sight of five almost completely naked men on the stage where the quiz had been taking place. The chants of 'off, off, off!' almost deafened her as she leant against the bar next to Lauren, noticing at once that there was something wrong with her best friend.

The younger girl glanced sideways sadly, before draining her bottle and motioning for another drink. Katy signalled for another as well as the music came to an end and the assembled women burst into a round of applause and cheers.

"What's up?" Katy asked as Bianca called for an encore.

"I could ask you the same thing." Lauren pointed out, looking at her friend carefully. "Where did you disappear off to, anyway?"

"Ronnie had Roxy's mobile so I went to give it to her. What's wrong with you?"

"What d'you think?" She asked, glancing towards Joey, who had just returned to the bar with Tanya and was shrugging his jacket on.

As he headed past them and out of the door, Lauren pushed her bottle into Katy's hands and followed him. The Mitchell watched helplessly as she caught up with him, looking away and catching Tanya's worried eye. Katy smiled weakly, before moving away to talk to her sister, assuring her that she'd given Roxy the mobile and their other sister had been very grateful. Ronnie pushed a drink into the teenager's hand and Bianca and Whitney dared her to down it. Not one to back down from a dare, Katy swallowed the alcohol in one, grinning and placing the empty glass on the bar.

"Come on! Let's get over to the Vic!" Tanya urged, shepherding the woman towards the doors.

When they arrived, Ronnie made a beeline straight for her husband, throwing her arms around his neck and pulling him into a deep kiss. There were whistles and laughter from those around them, but apparently her sister had drunk enough not to care for once. Shaking her head and smiling, Katy leant on the bar opposite her other sister, smiling weakly at Roxy and nodding when she asked if the teenager was having a good time.

As the night continued, Katy found herself cheering up intensely, despite having to watch Tyler laughing and flirting with the strippers that had been hired for Max's Stag do. She couldn't help bursting out laughing at the sight of Lucy scolding Ian for flirting with another of the strippers, pointing it out to Roxy, who was equally amused. Whitney didn't share her view, moving off to pull Fatboy away from yet another girl dressed as a police woman.

A commotion from the other end of the bar caught Katy's attention and she pushed through the crowd of people to see what was going on. Ronnie put an arm around her sister's shoulders as the teenager joined her, Tanya and Cora watching Jack and Max attempting to get Lauren down from her position on top of a table.

"_I can't get down!_" Lauren informed them with a giggle. "_I'm the main event! I'm the stripper!_"

"Lauren, get down." Katy ordered her with a frown. "You are not the bloody stripper. People will pay you to keep your clothes on."

The younger girl scowled at her friend and allowed her Uncle to lift her down. She swayed unsteadily, before turning and trying, unsuccessfully, to focus her gaze on the Mitchell. "Oi… just because you're not in prison anymore…"

"_Excuse me, everyone, I think my daughter needs to go home and sober up._" Tanya announced, embarrassed by Lauren's behaviour. "Sorry, Katy…"

She shrugged. "Don't worry about it, Tan. I had worse inside." Katy assured her, taking hold of her friend's arm. "I'll take her home."

"_Oh no! I don't think she does, actually._" Lauren argued. "_She needs to get the most drunk she has ever been before._"

Ignoring her words, Tanya and Katy grabbed an arm each and started to manhandle the girl towards the doors. They were forced to stop when the furious figure of the pub's landlord blocked their path, his gaze fixed on Max and Jack. Frowning slightly in confusion, the two women escorting the drunk teenager glanced at each other.

Taking the opportunity to free herself, Lauren moved to lean on the bar, announcing that she could drink the pub dry. Sighing and shrugging, Katy moved to stand beside her. She had a good idea what was causing Lauren's behaviour and felt sympathy and pity for the younger girl, rather than annoyance. Rubbing her back soothingly, Katy ignored her friend's attempts to throw her off, finally pulling her into a tight hug.

"_Alright there, Alf?_" Derek asked. "_Thought you'd done a runner, mate._"

"_You alright Alfie?_" Max asked.

The youngest of the brothers nodded. "_You alright, mate?_"

"_You want a drink?_" The Stag offered.

"_Which one of you is it?_" Alfie demanded, ignoring all of their questions.

"_What?_"

"_Which one?_" He repeated.

Jack shrugged and glanced towards Ronnie, as though she could clarify, but she just looked confused. "_What you on about?_"

"_Which one of you has been shagging my wife?_"

* * *

**_A/N: EEEK! Did we all see EE last night? Not boasting or anything, but I knew it was going to be Derek. ;) My friend was convinced it was Max, so I sent her a very gloaty text! Haha!_**

**_Anyway, thank you so much for reading!_**

**_x_**


	80. Chapter 80

"_Which one of you has been shagging my wife?_"

At Alfie's words, Katy felt her stomach flip over. She looked at Ronnie, who seemed to be about to faint. Before the teenager could move to her side, Roxy was there, a reassuring hand on their older sister's waist. Then Katy's attention moved to Tanya, who looked just as shocked. She was clinging onto the bar for support; her eyes glued to Max's face.

"_You what?_" Jack asked, glancing warily at Ronnie again.

"_You heard._" Alfie snapped. "_I've just come from the flat. Kat's there waiting. All sexy… candles and romantic._"

"_Alfie?_" Tanya almost pleaded, as though she was hoping this was some horrible joke.

"_Shut up, Tanya._" He ordered, pointing at the blonde but not moving his gaze from the three men in front of him.

"_Oi, oi!_" Scowling, Max tried to calm him down as the women watched in something close to terror, each wondering what on earth was going on. "_Alfie! Come on, mate!_"

"_Come on what, Max? What? Touched a little bone, have I, mate? Something you wanna tell me, is there?_"

Max glanced at his fiancé quickly, before shrugging and looking at the man in front of him again. "_Alfie, I haven't got a clue what you're talking about, mate._"

"_What, are you deaf or something?_" Alfie demanded angrily. "_One of you is having an affair with my wife. So, which one? Which one?_"

Beside Katy, Lauren seemed to be sobering up rapidly. She didn't, though, seem to completely understand what was going on and kept whispering in her friend's ear that she would kill her Dad. Trying to make sense of the situation herself, Katy tried to explain that Alfie didn't know which one it was. The older girl shared her friend's sentiments, though. Silently she vowed to herself that if it was Jack who'd been sleeping with Kat she'd kill him in the most painful way possible for hurting her sister.

"_I think you've had a bit too much to drink, Alf, ain't ya?_" Derek suggested.

"_I ain't touched a drop._"

Jack tried to take control of the situation, ushering the man backwards. "_Right, come on. Let's go outside and talk about this._"

In Katy's eyes, his actions made him look guilty. She tensed, glancing towards her sister who looked equally terrified. Roxy's arm around Ronnie tightened visibly and she narrowed her eyes at her brother-in-law. As Alfie lashed out at Jack, pushing him away, the man glanced sideways at his family. For a moment Katy glared at him, but then she realised that it was genuine confusion in his eyes and she breathed a sigh of relief. She couldn't explain how she knew, or why, but in that moment the teenager trusted that it wasn't Jack.

"_Get your hands off me!_" Alfie growled. "_Unless it's you? Is it you, Jack?_" Jack said nothing, shaking his head in disbelief. "_Messing around on_ Ronnie, _are you? Pulling at her heart strings?_"

There was a quiet gasp from behind the bar where the blonde Mitchell sisters were standing. Instinctively Katy turned around and reached out, squeezing Ronnie's hand supportively.

"_Right, now you're treading a fine line._" Jack warned in a low voice.

"_Yeah?_"

"_Yeah._"

There was a pause as the two men stared at each other. Then Alfie's attention moved on. "_Is it you, Derek? Yeah? What, did you force her? Did you pay her? She like it rough, does she?_"

"_Listen, I think you're making a bit of a fool of yourself, now. Why don't you come and sit down… have a cigar?_" Derek suggested. Even in this situation his sliminess made Katy shudder; he was far too pleased with himself.

But Alfie had already moved on. Beside her, Katy felt Lauren tense and she slipped her hand into her best friend's, linking their fingers and giving her hand a supportive squeeze. Katy hoped that Max hadn't been cheating on Tanya just as much as she hoped Jack hadn't been cheating on Ronnie.

"_What about you, Max? Is it you? Cheating on your wife?_" Alfie asked. The whole pub was silent now; everyone listening to what was going on. "_Ahhh… my beautiful Tanya. Breaking your kids' hearts, yeah? Wouldn't be the first time you've done it, is it?" _He pointed out._ "So is it you keeping the dirty little secret? Yeah? Eh?_"

"_Alfie… I don't know what you think you know, mate…_" Max started quietly, but Alfie cut him off.

"_Yeah, I know. I know!_"

"_I ain't been near your wife, alright?_" Max continued calmly. It was almost too calmly, Katy thought. Somewhere in the back of her mind she had a nagging feeling, but she dismissed it. Sure, Max had a reputation and a history, but didn't they all? She couldn't believe that he would do that to Tanya. Not again. Not now. Lauren's grip on her hand was painful; her nails digging so deeply into Katy's hand that the Mitchell was sure she was drawing blood. "_Neither's Derek, neither's Jack._"

"_How… How d'you know, eh?_"

"_Jack, just tell him, will ya?_" Max asked, almost as though he was bored of the conversation. If possible, Lauren's grip on Katy's hand tightened even more.

"_Alfie, oi, straight up, alright?_" Jack demanded. "_I'd never do that. I'd never do that, alright? _Not to Ronnie. And not to you; _you're a mate._"

Alfie shook his head, looking as though he was on the verge of tears. "_Oh, stop! I'm not your mate. I'm not your mate. I'm nobody's mate, alright? I'm just Alfie. Everybody's mug._"

"_I dunno what she's been telling you, Alfie,_" Derek cut in, "_but you're out of order now._"

"_Oh, am I?_"

Derek nodded. "_Yeah. Kat's a beautiful woman, no denying that, but not me or my brothers... we wouldn't do anything like that to you. Eh? Never in a million years. We love you, Alfie. This is our local; d'you think we'd be that stupid?_"

"_I know it's one of you._" Alfie persisted, refusing to back down. "_I know, OK, I know._"

"If it's my Dad… I'll kill him…" Lauren hissed in Katy's ear.

"Your Dad's not that stupid." The older girl attempted to reassure her friend, hoping that she was right. "But… look at Derek… I don't trust him. My money's on him."

Frowning at her, Lauren shook her head. "Why would Kat look twice at my Uncle Derek?"

Katy shrugged. "I dunno… but he's got a fair few quid, ain't he?"

"You reckon?"

"Yeah… Jack wouldn't do that and I don't reckon your Dad would. Not again."

During their conversation, they'd missed some of what was going on. They turned their attention back to the scene in front of them as Tanya, Ronnie, Roxy and Jean attempted to get Alfie to sit down or have a drink; anything to diffuse the situation. They appeared to have succeeded, when the sound of a ringing mobile cut through the tense silence.

Everyone's eyes moved to the device on the table; its screen flashing as an alert to the incoming call. Alfie was the only one who moved, however, crossing the floor and picking it up. There was a pause, before he accepted the call.

"_It's my wife._" He said, holding the mobile out in the direction of the three brothers. When none of them moved to take the phone, Alfie held it to his ear. "_Oh… she hung up. What a surprise._" He ended the call and glanced at the display. Katy's heart was in her mouth as Alfie sighed and walked slowly towards the Branning brothers. "_I believe this is yours._"

Lauren staggered slightly as Alfie looked at Max. Katy immediately threw an arm around her, holding the younger girl tightly to her side.

"_You what?_" Max asked.

"_This is your phone, mate. Ain't it?_"

Taking it from him, Max frowned and looked at the picture on the screen. "_Yeah…_"

"_Your phone?_"

"_Yeah._"

"_That my wife just called?_"

There was a long pause. "_Mate…_"

"_Mate?_" Alfie asked. "_What's mate?_"

Max glanced at Tanya quickly. "_Babe… there's no truth in this._"

Katy hugged Lauren even more tightly, almost restraining her friend. The Mitchell wasn't sure whether the younger girl was trying to pull herself out of Katy's grasp to attack her father or, if she let go, whether Lauren would crumple in a heap on the pub floor. Not wanting to risk either outcome, Katy held her tightly, rubbing her arms soothingly.

"_It's you, Max._"

"_Alfie, you've got this all wrong, mate,_" Max replied, "_so why don't you just call her back–_"

"_She just called you._"

"_And I've got no idea why._"

At once Alfie launched himself at the man, reigning blows on him with his fists. There was a smashing sound as they fell onto the table, sending glasses flying. Alfie pushed Jack away roughly as the younger brother moved to help. Other's piled in, trying to separate the two men; to pull the landlord off Max.

"_Alfie!_" Kat screamed, appearing in the Vic and rushing over. "_Alfie don't! It ain't him!_"

"_You called him! I had his phone in my hand!_"

"_I know! I panicked! I couldn't get through so…_"

"_I heard your voice!_" Alfie roared, struggling against the people trying to grasp hold of him.

"_I called Max. I just wanted to stop… I wanted to warn…_" Kat sobbed.

"_What are… what are you talking about?_"

Kat shook her head. "_It's not him. It's not Max._"

Beside Katy, Lauren's knees seemed to go weak at the woman's words. The teenager struggled to hold her up, settling on half propping the younger girl against the bar. Lauren let out a sigh, apparently of relief.

"_Who is it?_" Alfie demanded in a low voice once that information had sunk in.

Kat raised her hand and pointed. "_It's him… it's Derek._"

At Kat's protests that it wasn't Max, Katy's heart seemed to have stopped. She had been so sure that it wasn't him or Jack, that she was not sure what to think any more. Suddenly the idea that it might have been Ronnie's husband didn't seem so unlikely and she was terrified that it would be him. Hearing Kat's final words allowed her to breathe a sigh of relief that she hadn't known she'd been holding.

* * *

_**A/N: Thank you to Alexandra. Xx and Torchwood Boy for your reviews! :)**_

_**Also, I had a VERY vivid EastEnders dream last night, which I'm going to inflict on you... think of it as your early Christmas present from me ;)**_

_**Basically, Phil walked into the Vic where Jack was having a drink with Sharon and told him that Ronnie was coming out of prison. Then it cut to the prison, where Roxy was picking her up. Then it went back to the Vic, where Jack and Sharon had an argument and Sharon left with Phil. Then I woke up.**_

_**Basically, I'm hoping this is some kind of sign that Ronnie will be back SOON and there will be lots of Jack/Ronnie love! :D**_

_**Or maybe it just means I'm hoping too hard!**_

**_Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter! :D_**


	81. Chapter 81

The aftermath of the revelation was horrible. Alfie had thrown Kat out onto the street, before Derek strolled out, still acting as though he owned the place. Ronnie ushered the teenager in front of her up the stairs to collect their children as everyone streamed out of the pub, leaving their sister to help Jean and Mo tidy up and comfort the stricken landlord.

Katy sighed as she scooped the sleeping form of her daughter into her arms, pressing a kiss to the top of Ruby's head as the little girl frowned and yawned. Her mother almost held her breath, waiting to see whether she would wake up, exhaling as Ruby's eyes stayed closed. Beside her, Ronnie cradled James against her chest and Jack carried his daughter carefully towards the door. Only Tommy and Scarlet were left in the bedroom. Katy felt awful as her eye fell on the little boy, wondering what would happen to him now.

All the way across the Square and back to the flat Ronnie was silent. Jack exchanged wary looks with his sister-in-law, wondering what was going on in his wife's head. Once the children were tucked up and fast asleep, James and Ruby in their cots and Amy in her younger Auntie's bed, Katy moved into the kitchen to make them all a drink.

"I knew it wouldn't be you." She heard Ronnie telling her husband softly. "I just… I trust you, Jack."

"Like I told Alfie, I would never do that to you, Ron. I love you."

Katy smiled, leaning on the counter and looking through the archway at the couple who were curled up together on the sofa. Her heart ached at the sight and she found that she had to look away and busy herself with the kettle before tears found their way into her eyes.

"Sweetie, you've got a text from Abi." Ronnie called softly, holding the teenager's mobile up.

"What does it say?" Katy asked, pouring boiling water over the teabags in the three mugs.

"Lauren's finally lost it. She's ruined the dress and the cake and she's saying she doesn't care about going to prison." Ronnie read. She frowned, passing the phone to Jack, whose face clouded over as he read his younger niece's message. "What's Abi talking about?"

Katy shrugged, trying not to show how worried she was by the text. Several things she'd heard were slotting into place and the teenager was suddenly very concerned about her friend. "Can you text Abi back and ask if she wants me to come over?"

There was a pause as Ronnie did as she was asked. The teenager carried the mugs into the living room, setting her own down as her mobile buzzed to alert her to Abi's reply. A few moments later, Katy was disappearing through the flat door with the phone clutched tightly in her hand. She hadn't even bothered to pick up a coat before she left; something Katy regretted as she shivered on the Brannings' doorstep.

"She's upstairs." Tanya said when she saw who was at the door. She didn't ask how or why Katy was there, so the teenager assumed Abi must have told her.

Nodding, Katy went to Lauren's room, knocking softly before pushing it open and going inside. "What the bloody hell have you done now, Branning?" She demanded, mock sternly. Then she sighed as her friend burst into anguished sobs, Lauren's heart clearly breaking yet again.

Realising that she wasn't going to get anything out of the girl, Katy left Lauren's bedroom and made her way along the corridor. She knocked softly on Abi's door, pushing it open and going inside. The bedside lamp was still on, casting a soft pink glow over the room. Abi was asleep; her eyes were red and Katy guessed she'd been crying. Turning off the lamp, she retreated and moved to the top of the stairs, intending to go and ask Max and Tanya what had happened.

"_I'm not the only person in this house who's ever had a secret, am I?_" Tanya was asking quietly. "_And I wasn't doing it in malice. There's nothing we can do, Max. You can't touch him… you can't._"

Katy watched as Max took her hand and allowed himself to be pulled into the living room. As the door shut with a soft click, the teenager realised that she shouldn't disturb them. After everything that had gone on that evening they needed time alone.

With a deep sigh, the Mitchell turned on her heels and went back to her friend's bedroom. Pulling back the covers, Katy slipped into the bed beside Lauren, pulling the younger girl to her and letting her sob as she rocked her gently.

x-x

It was the middle of the night when Katy woke. She winced as she moved and felt an ache in her neck from the awkward angle she was lying at. Her right side was freezing from where she was hanging over the edge of Lauren's bed, the duvet wrapped firmly around the younger girl. As she moved, Katy struggled to stop herself falling onto the carpet, failing and landing with a soft thump.

Realising that there was no way she'd be able to get back into the bed and not fancying sleeping on the floor or in Lauren's desk chair, Katy picked up her shoes and jacket and opened the door quietly. Heading down the stairs, she was about to open the front door and slip out onto the Square, when she realised that there was a light shining underneath the living room door.

Knocking quietly, she pushed it ajar and poked her head around. Tanya was sitting on the sofa, staring ahead of her, her hands wrapped around a mug. The teenager slipped into the room, pushing the door closed behind her and perched on the sofa. It was only then that the blonde seemed to realise that she was no longer alone.

"Oh… what are you… what time is it?" She asked slowly, blinking several times.

"Umm…" Katy glanced at the display on her phone. "Twenty to four. Happy Christmas Eve; happy wedding day!"

Tanya smiled weakly. "What are you doing up?"

"Oh, you know Lauren, she likes to spread out." The teenager smiled. "I was gonna go home and come back in the morning." There was a pause. "Tanya… I know it's not my place… but what happened? Abi said Lauren ruined your dress and the cake… was it about what Alfie said abo–?"

"No!" Tanya replied at once. She sighed and shook her head. "No it was… I knew something about… about Joey. I should have told her, but I tried to protect her and it… Derek had me backed into a corner. He was going to tell the police she was driving when they crashed and…"

"She was drunk?" Katy finished, squeezing her eyes closed and sighing. "Tan…"

"I know." The blonde nodded.

* * *

_**A/N: MERRY CHRISTMAS! I hope you all have a FABULOUS DAY! :D**_

_**x**_


	82. Chapter 82

"What happened to your face?" Ronnie asked, grasping her sister's chin between her thumb and index finger, tilting Katy's head so that she could assess the slight bruise on the teenager's cheek.

"Lauren." Katy replied with a shrug, signalling that it was no big deal. "A bit of makeup'll sort that, no problem."

"Cora called; Max and Tanya have had to call the wedding off."

The brunette closed her eyes and winced. "Oh, god… because of Lauren?"

Her sister nodded. "Apparently everything was completely ruined."

"D'you think I should go and see if she's OK?"

"No, Katy, I don't." Ronnie told her firmly, passing her a mug of tea. "I think Lauren needs to sort herself out this time. You did enough for her last night." She smiled and dropped onto the sofa beside the teenager. "Besides, it's Christmas Eve, so you and I are going to do some Christmassy things. We're going to take James and Ruby to see Father Christmas and then we're going to look around the stalls and then we're going to the party at the Vic later."

"Party at the Vic? Alfie's opening up?"

"Of course he is. He knows that Christmas is a big business time and he'll put on a brave face. In the long run it'll help him get through this. If he hides away, he'll just mope and it'll draw everything out." The blonde pointed out, with an air of authority.

"Alright!" Katy smiled. "When are we heading out to see Santa?"

"Rox just rang to say her and Alfie are taking Amy and they'll meet us in ten minutes."

The teenager stood up and rushed into her bedroom to get dressed. Fifteen minutes later the women and their children were heading out of the flat, wrapped up against the cold. They met the middle Mitchell sister, Amy and Alfie outside the Vic and headed to the grotto together, chatting cheerfully about the Christmas party and their plans for tomorrow. Although Ronnie and Katy had agreed to go over to the Brannings' for lunch with Jack – seeing as neither really wanted to spend the day with Phil after he hadn't even bothered to turn up to Katy's retrial – they promised that they'd be over to the pub afterwards to spend the night in the Vic with Alfie and Roxy. Katy was slightly reluctant when she realised that, obviously, Tyler would be at the pub as well, but didn't let on.

As they neared the grotto, they slowed down, seeing who was standing at the front of the queue. Uncomfortably, the three sisters glanced between Alfie and his estranged wife, wondering whether they should give them some space, or stay close in case an argument kicked off. They doubted, however, that Alfie would do anything like that in front of Tommy and the other children.

"_Hey… how's my little Christmas Elf, eh?_" He asked softly, focusing all of his attention on the little boy and barely making any sign that he had noticed Kat.

There was a shout of 'next!' from the rather grumpy looking Elf who was guarding the doors to the grotto and they all looked round. Kat looked at Alfie. "_You can take him in if you want?_"

Alfie accepted the little boy and took Amy's hand. "_Come on, buddy. Come on, Amy. Let's go and see Father Christmas, yeah?_"

"K… take James and Ruby too." Ronnie muttered quietly, handing over her son and looking at their sister who was almost glaring at Kat.

Katy nodded and followed Alfie into the grotto. She watched as the man did his best to be as cheerful and enthusiastic as he always was, but knew he was struggling. With Kat out of his line of sight, Alfie had perked up slightly, but there was still a deep, understandable sadness in his eyes. The pair laughed as, the moment she was seated on Father Christmas' lap, Ruby burst into tears, reaching out for her mother. Katy smiled apologetically at the man – one of the stallholders from the market – and replaced her daughter with her nephew, hastily removing him, too, as James tugged the man's beard off his face.

"_I think Santa's had one too many, to be honest with ya!_" The Vic's landlord joked as they emerged moments later after watching the man struggle to replace his beard in the right place.

"_We should be getting back to the pub, yeah?_" Roxy reminded him bluntly.

"_Yeah._" Alfie agreed with a sigh. "_Yeah, I know, mate._" He smiled weakly at Tommy, looking at him seriously. "_Listen, buddy, you have a good time tomorrow, yeah? Make sure you leave your stocking out for Santa Claus and… and you… umm… and you leave out some milk and carrots for Rudolph, yeah? Or you can even leave him a beer, yeah?_" The pain was evident on his face as he spoke to the little boy. "_Kisses? Kisses? Thanks mate. I'm going to miss you, OK? OK._"

With a final sigh and a scowl in Kat's direction, he handed Tommy back and the three sisters followed him away.

"_Didn't that voice message mean anything to you?_" Kat shouted after them.

Katy was curious about what she meant but said nothing, knowing that Alfie wouldn't want to discuss it. They separated, with Roxy and Alfie headed back to the pub to get going with their preparations for the Vic's Christmas party, while Ronnie and Katy wandered round the market with the three children.

When they were cold and wet and tired, they went into the café for hot chocolate and cake. By teatime Katy was ready to fall onto the sofa and sleep. However, Ronnie was adamant that they had to go to the Christmas party to support Alfie so, with the children all wrapped up in blankets against the cold and with Jean perfectly happy to babysit, they headed over to the Vic. Katy settled herself on one of the bar stools between her sister and Denise, laughing and chatting comfortably. It had been a matter of days since she'd left prison, but the teenager was doing her best to pretend it had never happened. She felt guilty that her friends were still locked up and promised herself that she would speak to Karen soon and ask her to remind them to send her a visiting order.

"Katy?"

She blinked and jumped slightly as Ronnie frowned at her. "Sorry, Ron… I was a million miles away."

Her sister smiled. "Another drink?"

"Yeah, thanks… I'm just going to go and speak to Shirl."

Sliding off the stool as the blonde nodded in understanding, Katy headed around the bar to where the older woman was sitting with Mo. Smiling at the latter, the teenager hugged the fearsome woman tightly. For a moment, Shirley tensed, but then she returned the gesture.

"You alright?"

"Yeah, thanks, Shirl." Katy nodded, smiling. "I would have thought you'd be spending Christmas with Carly and the baby?"

"Nah… she's at the in-laws."

"I would invite you to ours, but I'm going to the Brannings' with Jack and Ronnie."

Shirley shrugged and smiled. "It's fine. I'm gonna be at the B&B with Denise and Kim. That'll be… fun. Besides, I hate Christmas."

The teenager laughed and smiled broadly. "I've got a present for you. Pop over at some point and get it… or I'll drop it round for you."

"You didn't need to do that." Shirley told her gruffly. She was trying to hide it, but Katy could see that she was touched.

"I wanted to."

With a final smiled, the girl made her way back to her seat, accepting the drink from her sister gratefully. She looked up as someone ruffled her hair, sticking her tongue out at Roxy. Then her eye fell on Alfie who looked so forlorn that the smile fell slowly from her face. But then he grinned and called out to Fatboy, moving away to speak to the young man.

* * *

_**A/N: I hope you all had a brilliant Christmas! x**_


	83. Chapter 83

Denise counted the takings from Fatboy and Tyler's days on the stalls. She got Katy to double check to ensure that she hadn't made any mistakes. After seeing them both in action, the Mitchell was convinced that Tyler would be the winner. Slight pride at his selling abilities mingled with annoyance that Derek would get one over on Alfie yet again if that was the case, as she thought about this outcome.

While they were calculating the results and Kim was singing _Rocking Around the Christmas Tree_ in the background, Alfie had persuaded the sisters to sign up for the Christmas Karaoke. Apparently Roxy had told him about her and Ronnie always singing together at Christmas when they were younger and he wanted to see it for himself. Katy complained loudly at this, not understanding why it meant she had to join in as well. Her sisters were brilliant singers and it took a lot of persuading for the teenager to agree to it.

Finally, they had the amounts of Fat Boy and Tyler's takings. To Katy's astonishment it turned out that Fatboy was the winner. Denise raised her eyebrows at the teenager as she took to the stage, taking the microphone off Kim who was still accepting applause for her singing.

"_If I can have your attention please, ladies and gentlemen?_"

"_Here she is, Carol flamin' Voderman._" Kim added, pulling a face as her older sister took her attention away.

"_What exactly have you come as?_" Jean asked, causing Katy to snort with laughter. At a glare from Kim, she quickly turned it into a cough.

"_A Christmas fairy._"

Ian smirked. "_We'll stick you on the tree in the Square next year._"

"_OK, it turns out that we have a landslide victory for one of our boys._" Denise announced.

"_Well done, brother._" Fatboy congratulated Tyler, taking it for granted that he would win. Katy rolled her eyes at her friend's lack of faith in himself.

"_OK, first off we have Fatboy,_" Denise continued, "_with takings of £334.22. And then we have Tyler._"

"_Alright, drumroll please!_"

"_Lovely Tyler, with a grand total of £276.03. Alfie and Fatboy are our winners!_"

Once the cheers and applause had died down, Kim and Denise launched into a duet of _I Wish it could be Christmas Every Day_. Katy grinned at Alfie, who leant across the bar and planted a kiss on her forehead in his delight at winning the competition against Derek. She laughed and turned to watch Denise and Kim, her attention caught by Tyler and Fatboy a little way along the bar. Watching as Tyler pulled something out of his pocket and pushed it into the money box on the bar, she suddenly realised what must have happened and her heart contracted slightly as she remembered how thoughtful he could be. As he glanced up and met her eyes, she firmly fixed her attention on the two women on the makeshift stage.

"Right!" Alfie took to the stage as Kim and Denise curtseyed, taking the praise aimed at them after their performance. "Next up we've got... Oh! Forget the Nolan sisters; we've got Walford's very own absolutely gorgeous Mitchell sisters!"

Exchanging a look, the three females raised their glasses at the same time and downed the alcohol in them in one go. Steeling themselves, they took their places on the stage ready to sing as Alfie queued up the track.

"_**I don't want a lot for Christmas. There is just one thing I need.**_" Roxy sang as the music on the karaoke machine started softly. Her voice was quiet, but steady, not showing any hint of nerves at all. "_**I don't care about the presents underneath the Christmas tree. I just want you for my own, more than you could ever know. Make my wish come true; all I want for Christmas is you.**_"

She sang until the volume of the track increased and the bass kicked in, then Ronnie took over. "_**I don't want a lot for Christmas; there is just one thing I need. I don't care about the presents underneath the Christmas tree. I don't need to hang my stocking there upon the fireplace. Santa Claus won't make me happy with a toy on Christmas Day.**_"

"_**I just want you for my own, more than you could ever know. Make my wish come true; all I want for Christmas is you.**_" Roxy's eyes were locked on Alfie's, something her younger sister didn't fail to notice. Katy glanced at Ronnie, wondering whether she had noticed, and saw that the older blonde was also looking between their sister and the Vic's landlord.

A round of applause started up as the instrumental part of the song began and the three Mitchell sisters started dancing, laughing as their audience began clapping along with the beat of the song.

"_**I won't ask for much this Christmas; I won't even wish for snow.**_" Ronnie sang.

"Liar..." Katy cut in loudly, causing their audience to laugh.

"_**I just wanna keep on waiting underneath the mistletoe.**_" Ronnie continued, blowing a kiss to Jack who was leaning against the bar watching them.

"_**I won't make a list and send it to the North Pole for Saint Nick.**_" Roxy took over.

"You will." The teenager told her, earning another laugh.

"_**I won't even stay awake to hear those magic reindeer click.**_" Roxy finished, wrapping an arm around the brunette and pressing a kiss to the side of her head.

"_**'Cos I just want you here tonight holding onto me so tight.**_" The blondes sang together, smiling at their younger sister who was standing in the middle. "_**What more can I do? All I want for Christmas is you.**_"

Katy grinned at them, wrapping her free arm around Ronnie's waist and raising the karaoke microphone to her mouth. "_**All the lights are shining so brightly everywhere. And the sound of children's laughter fills the air. And everyone is singing; I hear those sleigh bells ringing. Santa won't you bring me the one I really need, will you please bring my baby to me?**_" She sang, glancing up and meeting Tyler's eyes. Quickly she looked away, winking at Ian instead and barely suppressing a giggle as he looked alarmed. "_**Oh I don't want a lot for Christmas; this is all I'm asking for.**_"

"_**I just wanna see my baby standing there outside my door.**_" The eldest of the sisters sang.

"_**I just want you for my own, more than you could ever know. Make my wish come true.**_" Roxy continued.

"_**All I want for Christmas is you.**_" They finished together.

* * *

_**A/N: The idea for Ronnie, Roxy and Katy singing All I Want for Christmas is You came to me when I was sitting in the car on the way to do the traditional Christmas Card delivery with my parents. This song came on my iPod (the Samantha Mumba version… I don't know why that really matters…) and I could just imagine them singing it!**_

_**Maybe you should listen to it while reading this chapter… like a soundtrack… Haha! :)**_


	84. Chapter 84

Christmas morning came far too early for Katy after the lock-in at the Vic the night before. Ruby and James were still too little to wake up at the crack of dawn, so it was Ronnie and Roxy who woke their younger sister up, Amy leaping on her Aunt in excitement. The teenager grinned and pulled herself up into a seated position, reaching eagerly for hers and Ruby's stockings before she and her daughter joined everyone else on the sofa to open them.

Once that chaos was over and done with and the paper was all tidied away, Roxy and Amy said goodbye and headed over to the Vic and the others gathered up presents to take to the Brannings'. As always, they were the last to arrive. Abi opened the door and ushered them inside the living room, where there was a great hustle and bustle of excitement.

By the time Tanya called everyone to the table, Katy had lost track of who had her daughter, finally tracking her down. With a grin, she scooped her out of Carol's arms laughing as Ruby pouted at her, enjoying the attention she was receiving. Seating herself between Whitney and Jack, she settled Ruby on her lap and allowed her brother-in-law to pile food onto her plate.

The chatter died down abruptly as Kat walked into the room. Katy glanced sideways at Whitney and raised an eyebrow, receiving a small shrug in return. In the end it was Tiffany, hovering between the two girls and pulling faces at Ruby, who broke the awkward silence.

"_Merry Christmas, Kat._" She called, glancing towards the door.

The woman smiled gratefully at her. "_Merry Christmas._"

From then everyone seemed to decide that it was Christmas and any tension towards the woman should be put aside for the moment. Katy struggled slightly, remembering what she had done to Alfie, but wasn't willing to ruin the day. She did, however, do her best to completely ignore Derek's presence.

Throughout lunch Ruby was clambering between Katy and Whitney's laps. Occasionally she ventured onto Fatboy's or Jack's, sitting on either side of the girls. Abi and Jay, seated opposite them, burst out laughing as the toddler grabbed a sprout off her mother's plate and shoved it into her mouth, before spitting it out with an expression of complete disgust. They laughed even more when Ruby tried to drink the white wine in Katy's glass. Raising an eyebrow, the teenager tilted her glass so that the tiniest amount made it as far as her daughter's lips. Ruby screwed up her face at the taste, sending the teenagers into peals of laughter.

Once lunch was finished and they were clearing away, the doorbell rang and Joey appeared. Instinctively Katy glanced towards her best friend and saw Lauren pale slightly. Balancing Ruby on her hip, the older girl made her way over and stood directly in front of her.

"Lor? You alright, babe?"

"Mm… fine." The younger girl agreed. "I'm just gonna…"

Lauren smiled weakly and headed out of the room. With a sigh, Katy watched her leave, before moving to sit beside Bianca on the sofa. Within seconds Cora had plucked the toddler from her lap and was bouncing her on her knee. Katy smiled and looked around. She grinned at Fatboy, Whitney, Alice, Jay, Abi, Liam, Tiffany, Morgan, Oscar and James sitting around the Christmas tree examining the presents underneath it and laughed as Jay had to pull a present quickly out of her nephew's grip before he ripped it open. Her gaze wandered to where Ronnie and Jack were standing against the far wall talking softly and kissing every so often. Then Katy looked over to the table, catching both Tanya and Carol's eye as the blonde women picked up several empty bowls and both smiled warmly at the teenager. Max appeared beside his wife, pressing a kiss to her cheek, before heading out of the door quickly. They might not be her real family, but Katy knew where she'd rather be today. The only people missing were Roxy, Amy and Shirley.

"What's up?" Bianca asked softly, nudging her arm.

Katy shook her head. "Nothing… I just… I'm so lucky to be here. I didn't think I'd get to spend Christmas with my family. I thought I'd be…"

"Hey…" The red-head wrapped an arm around the teenager, pulling her into a one-armed hug. "It's tough, but you're out now and you are with family. So cheer up, yeah?"

"Yeah." Katy agreed with a broad grin.

Bianca winked at her, giving the teenager a final squeeze before removing her arm and leaning forwards to see what Tiff had discovered under the tree. There were a couple of moments, before a sharp tap on the door and it was flung open, revealing Max in a Santa suit. Everyone burst out laughing as he leapt into the room, jumping around over-excitedly.

"_Yo yo yo!_" He exclaimed. "_It's Father Christmas! Merry Christmas, everybody! I just came down the chimney! Haha!_ _Oh, you've grown!_" He announcing, patting Jack's head as he passed and causing everyone to collapse in a fresh wave of laughter. "_Oh… it's Derek Branning… oh! Somebody tells me you've been a very naughty boy! No presents for you!_" Max ignored the furious scowl his older brother was sending him and turned back to the children beside the tree. "_Right, who's first?_"

The presents were handed out in an explosion of laughter and chattering and wrapping paper. There were delighted squeals and bouts of laughter at the jokey presents and a couple of whinges when something wasn't quite what was wanted. When all but one final present had been handed out, Max turned and started towards the door.

"_Right, we're all done until next year. Keep it real!_"

"_Oi!_" Tanya complained good-naturedly. "_Ain't you forgetting something?_"

"_Oh, what?_"

"_Uh… the big red present? Don't be silly, give me my present, please._"

"_Oh!_" Max looked around and then pointed to the final present under the tree. "_Ho ho ho! You mean this one? This little one here? Oh, ho ho!_" He picked it up and handed it to her. "_Is that what you're talking about?_"

"_Yes, it is!_"

"_Are you very sure?_" He asked, climbing onto her lap.

Everyone laughed, Abi and Lauren looking away and pulling almost identical faces. Bianca grinned. "_Oi! Santa's getting randy!_"

"_That beard smells…_" Tanya informed her soon-to-be husband with a giggle. She took the present off him. "_Thank you._"

"Gross…" Lauren muttered beside Katy, making the older girl laugh. She handed Ruby over to her godmother and moved to pick up her glass from the table.

As Tanya opened her present, checking that it wasn't underwear, Katy noticed that Lauren was grinning broadly. The older girl narrowed her eyes slightly, wondering why her friend was so happy about her mother opening the present. It all became clear when Tanya held up the wedding dress and Max announced that they would be getting married that afternoon. As the vicar arrived to perform the ceremony and Tanya rushed off with Ronnie and her daughters to get ready, Katy settled herself at the table with Whitney, Alice, Fatboy, Jay and Joey to laugh at the children's excitement over their presents.

Katy 'awwed' along with the others as Max announced his plans for them to say their vows by the Christmas tree. As the doorbell rang yet again and Tanya went to answer it, followed by Max, she turned and continued her conversation with the others.

"_Oh, a full house._" A woman said, causing the chatter and laughter to stop abruptly and look at her. "_All the decorations and a tree… very festive._" Max moved in front of her, as though blocking her entering the room. "_And there's a face I know._"

"_Hello, Kirsty, love._" Derek replied, looking darkly at her as everyone turned to stare at him in confusion. "_You made it then?_"

She retreated but Max continued to glare at his brother for a moment, before turning away. While the children immediately forgot about the interruption, returning to playing with their toys and laughing and chattering with each other, the adults exchanged wary looks and wondered what was going on. Only Derek looked amused, smirking to himself.

"_Who's that?_" Carol asked, not really directing her question at anyone specific.

"_Dunno._" Bianca answered with a shrug, distracted by the truck that Morgan was shoving in her face for her to look at.

"Can't be good, though." Whitney muttered in her friend's ear, trying not to let Lauren hear. She looked worried enough as it was, without the two girls making her even more worried about who the woman was. Before Whitney spoke again, Lauren pushed past them and left the room. "A woman turning up here…"

"Jack?" Katy muttered as her brother-in-law passed them. "Who was that?"

He shrugged. "I dunno…"

A couple more moments passed and then everyone started to disperse. Ronnie and Jack stayed behind to support Max and Tanya and the kids, leaving Katy to head to the Vic with James and Ruby, with both her sister's and Lauren's assurances that they'd ring her if they needed her.


	85. Chapter 85

The news of Derek's death spread round the Square quickly. Katy had found out on Christmas night when Jack and Ronnie returned to the flat and filled her in on what had been going on. The teenager was stunned. In her mind, Derek was like a bad smell that refused to leave; she couldn't quite believe that he was actually dead.

The days between Christmas and New Year passed lazily for the teenager. Around the Square preparations were going on ready for New Year's Eve. The preparations for Lexi's Christening were already in full swing and Katy had had several conversations with her younger cousin about letting Phil take control. She didn't see why Lola was rolling over and letting him get his own way over everything, when Lexi was her daughter. If it had been Ruby, Katy knew she would have come to physical blows with the man if he'd done anything like that to her.

On Sunday Ronnie, Roxy, Katy, Amy, James and Ruby headed to Aunt Sal's to exchange Christmas presents with her and Peggy. It was the first time that the teenager had seen the women since being released from prison – in fact it was the first time that she'd seen them since before she'd been sent to Larkhall, seeing as Peggy had been ill on the day of Ruby's Christening so both women had stayed away. Katy was excited to see them, but also incredibly nervous about what they might say. Although she had been cleared of the charges, she was worried about their reactions.

It turned out that she needn't have worried. As the taxi drew up outside their house, the front door was thrown open and Auntie Peggy gathered the teenager and her daughter into a tight hug, before moving aside so that she could go inside and the woman could hug the blondes. Aunt Sal was similarly demonstrative at the sight of the girl, something that almost alarmed the three sisters. She was, however, her usual sarcastic self with Roxy, which assured them she wasn't ill.

"Did you have a good Christmas?" Auntie Peggy asked, bouncing James on one knee and Ruby on the other. She smiled at Amy who was rummaging through the bag of presents she had insisted on bringing to show them. "Did you enjoy yourself, darlin'?"

"Yeah! It was fun. We were at Alfie's and Tommy was there and Scarlett and Jean and–"

"You were at the Vic?" Aunt Sal asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, yeah…" Roxy replied almost defensively. "Ron and K were at Max and Tanya's and I wasn't going to spend Christmas on my own."

"Why didn't you go to Phil's?" Peggy asked, frowning slightly.

Ronnie shrugged. "If he couldn't be bothered to turn up to Katy's retrial, that tells me he isn't interested in having us around."

"He didn't go?"

"No, he flamin' didn't." Roxy snapped. There was a slightly awkward pause as they all thought about what had been said. "So, did you enjoy Christmas?"

The rest of the visit went much more smoothly. It wasn't until they were just about to leave and Ronnie asked whether Peggy and Sal were going to Lexi's Christening, that the mood took a downward turn. It turned out that Peggy was as much of a fan of Sharon as Katy was and was refusing to attend the service if she was there. The teenager smiled, triumphantly, as she realised that, when Peggy broke the news to her son, he would be furious.

"Gloating isn't attractive." Ronnie hissed in her younger sister's ear as they waved goodbye and headed down the path towards the waiting taxi.

"I can't help it!" The teenager replied with a broad grin. "Phil's gonna be so pissed off!"

The blonde sighed. "Whatever he is and whatever he's done, he's still family."

"Yeah, right…"

"I'm not asking you to like him, Katherine, but you will remember family loyalty."

Katy frowned slightly at the tone her sister used, as well as the use of her full name. Roxy grinned. "Ooh! Watch out babe, she's serious."

"I don't see why it's such a big deal, Ron?" The teenager told her, still frowning. "So I'm not Phil's biggest fan at the moment and I'm not sorry that his plans are falling apart. That don't mean I'm about to forget we share a surname. If I have to at some point I'll have his back, but right now I've got Lola's. She's family too, remember."

"I know that."

There was a long silence. Katy sulked about the fact that Ronnie was treating her like a child. Ronnie was annoyed that Katy had questioned her and more so that the teenager had a good point. Roxy was just looking between her sisters warily. While the fiery middle sister had a temper to rival most, she couldn't do the silent brooding that both her sisters had turned into a fine art. To her, their quiet form of warfare was more frightening than any amount of shouting and screaming.

Finally the cab drew up on Albert Square and they got out, Ronnie bouncing her son on her hip as she moved round to pay the driver. By the time it drove away and she headed towards the flat, Katy was already disappearing through the front door of Whitney's house with Ruby. Ronnie turned to Roxy and sighed deeply.

"I'm only trying to watch out for her."

Roxy nodded and smiled weakly. "I know."

* * *

_**A/N: Last update of 2012!**_

_**Thank you so much for all your support this year, guys! Happy New Year and see you on the other side! :)**_

_**x**_


	86. Chapter 86

_**A/N: Happy 2013!**_

_**This chapter is a treat for you Kayler fans. Haha! I actually started calling Katy and Tyler 'Kayler' in my head and it made me laugh… I don't even know why I find it funny!**_

_**Also, a warning in advance – whatever happens in the show, I'm all about the Rolfie from now on. As much as I loved Kat, she's blown it one too many times. And Roxy is awesome!**_

_**Anyway, I hope you enjoy!**_

* * *

With Jean throwing a Nursery New Year's Eve party upstairs in the Vic for the Square's youngest residents, Katy found that she was free to do whatever she wanted. The only problem was that both her best friends had come down with the norovirus and so she had no one to celebrate with, apart from her sisters. Thinking back over the previous year, Katy decided that she didn't want to celebrate it anyway – she'd rather go to bed early and wake up in 2013.

Her sisters, however, wouldn't hear of it. Roxy was working and her sisters promised to be at the Vic for midnight, but first they headed over to Billy and Lola's. Katy had heard about Phil's outburst in the café and, while she was upset for her cousin, she was also a little annoyed that no one had listened to her about Phil. On the positive side, Lola had asked her to be Lexi's third Godparent, which had touched the teenager greatly.

It was a very sombre affair. Ronnie, Katy, Jack, Cora, Jay, Lola and Billy sat around in the living room trying to make conversation. The two girls were stuck in their own thoughts and Jay was slightly gloomy that Abi was ill and not able to celebrate with them. When the doorbell rang, Billy was almost glad of a reason to leave the room.

"_You come to tell me what I can and can't do even when I'm not with Lexi?_" Lola demanded feistily as Phil paused in the doorway.

"_I ain't come for a row._" He assured her with a shrug.

"_That's a shame…_"

Billy sighed. "_What d'you want, Phil?_"

"_Umm… maybe I overreacted._"

"_Just a tad._" Cora agreed sarcastically. She shared a smirk with Katy, who was eyeing her step-brother with suspicion. The teenager honestly didn't believe that Phil was capable of apologising.

"_I said some things that I shouldn't have done…_" He admitted. "_Maybe I was out of order._"

"_So… we're alright, then? Are we?_" Billy asked.

"_You tell me._"

There was a long pause as Lola considered her response. Katy was willing her to tell Phil to get stuffed, but she knew that the younger girl wouldn't. She understood why, though. With a small smile, Lola nodded.

"Right, well, it's half an hour until the New Year and I own a boozer." Phil pointed out. "Let's get over there and celebrate, right? Drinks on me."

However annoyed she was with Phil, Katy wasn't going to turn down free drinks. Besides, she figured that he owed her. Standing up, the girl followed her sister and brother-in-law from the flat, linking her arm through Lola's and squeezing it. On the other side of the blonde, Jay was chatting cheerfully, looking forward to the next hour or so in the pub.

"_There you go!_" Phil announced, putting a bucket of ice with a bottle of champagne on the bar. Katy nudged Shirley in the ribs and leant against the bar as Roxy placed glasses beside the bucket. "_On the house._"

"_There you go, folks, Happy New Year._" Roxy added, leaning forward and ruffling her younger sister's hair cheerfully.

"_And… thanks for Cora and Jay._" Lola told Phil, earning herself an awkward smile in return.

"_What's all this about?_" Shirley asked Katy, narrowing her eyes slightly.

"_Phil's guilt._"

The blonde slipped off her stool and followed them to a table. "_Yeah, well, I'll drink to that._"

"I may not like him at the moment, but I won't say no to free champers_._" Katy agreed with a grin.

The teenager had barely drunk half her glass of champagne, when a familiar screaming reached her ears and Jean appeared in the doorway, looking around wildly. Climbing to her feet, Katy slipped around the bar and plucked her daughter from the woman's arms, bouncing her and trying to calm her down.

"I'm so sorry, Katy." Jean gushed apologetically. "She woke up and wouldn't calm down."

Smiling at the woman, she nodded and gestured towards the coat hooks in the hallway. "It's alright… can I borrow a coat."

Jean nodded and handed her one of Alfie's. It was far too big, but it was large enough to wrap around both Katy and her daughter. Slipping out of the side door, Katy moved to stand on Bridge Street, leaning against the wall of the pub. She could hear the noise of the party in the Vic mingling with the sounds of the party at the Masoods. A short while and a lot of rocking and singing later, when Ruby had fallen asleep, the girl headed back through the cellar and carried her daughter up the stairs to put her back to bed.

In Alfie's bedroom, she closed the door and settled herself on the bed, rocking Ruby gently until she was sure the little girl was definitely asleep. Then she laid her gently on the bed, tucking her up between her sleeping cousins.

Watching Ruby for a moment, Katy didn't hear the bedroom door open and was only alerted to someone else's presence until the door clicked shut again. She looked round and smiled weakly, standing up.

"You still love me." Tyler said. Unsure whether it was a question or a statement, Katy said nothing, looking at her daughter instead of meeting his eyes. "Ronnie told me."

Katy frowned and signalled for him to leave the room, not wanting to wake the children. "Ronnie told you what?"

"She told me why you ended it. She said that you'd done it for me; that you didn't want me waiting around for you to get out." He moved forwards slowly, as though he was afraid of spooking her. Putting a hand on her cheek, he smiled weakly. "But I'd have waited for you for a year… two years… as long as I had to."

"God… I missed you." Katy sighed, closing her eyes and leaning forwards to rest her forehead against his.

Tyler raised his other hand to her cheek too, pulling her face up and kissing her. "I missed you too. And I love you." There was a pause as he fumbled in his pocket and pulled out a small box. "Here… Happy New Year, Katy."

Her mouth fell open as she looked down at the box in her hand. Opening it, she gasped. "Ty… Tyler…"

"Will you marry me?"

"Tyler... this is crazy!" Katy pointed out, her eyes wide as he grasped her hands tightly in his. "We haven't been together since August... I've been in prison and you've been doing... god knows what! We can't just get married!"

"I'm not saying we should get married tomorrow or in a week or a month; maybe not even this year. But please think about it, babe. I've missed you so much. I haven't stopped loving you; I can't." He told her, raising a hand to stroke her cheek.

Katy sighed and looked down at the diamond that was sparkling on the ring Tyler had placed on the fourth finger of her left hand. "We've never even lived together. Getting engaged... this is huge! It isn't just me I've got to think about; I've got to consider Ruby. What if we can't make this work?"

Laughing softly, Tyler shook his head. "Ruby's my daughter, isn't she? As good as anyway. Whatever happens that isn't going to change."

"But what if…"

"I get it, babe; you're scared." He told her. For a moment the girl considered arguing, but then she sighed and nodded, conceding that he was right. "I'm scared too. But this is just right. It feels right. It's always felt right. Marrying you, one day, is right. We can be a proper family; you, me, Rubes… maybe our own kids."

"Bloody hell… first marriage then kids… you've been planning this for a while, ain't you?" She asked with a weak laugh, wondering whether to mention her pregnancy scare several months ago. Deciding against it, figuring that there was no point bringing it up, Katy took a deep breath and smiled. She cupped his face gently and looked deep into his eyes. "I guess we're engaged, then."

"You mean it?" Tyler asked, as though he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

Katy bit her bottom lip and nodded, smiling broadly at him. Tyler grinned and pulled her into a tight hug, pulling away slightly to kiss her deeply. She sighed at the contact, feeling as though she was where she was supposed to be. When they broke apart, the girl looked at the ring on her finger again and grinned.

"I guess we need to inform the relevant people." She said with a giggle.

"You sure know how to make it sound romantic." Tyler told her, rolling his eyes and clamping an arm around her, pressing a kiss to the side of her head.

"What's romantic about getting married?" Katy asked with a smirk. "Ask Tanya and Max what it's like to plan a Wedding! We've got so much to do!"

Looking a little concerned, he looked down at her, pausing for a moment. "But we're not getting married for a while, right?"

"You've changed your mind already, then?"

"Nah… it's not that… I just…"

She laughed and shook her head, reaching up to kiss him gently. "I was joking, babe."

Tyler looked incredibly relieved.


	87. Chapter 87

As the pair descended the stairs hand in hand, they could hear the countdown taking place in the pub. Just as Tyler pulled Katy through the archway and behind the bar, it reached zero and a shout of 'Happy New Year' went up. Wrapping his arms around her waist, Tyler bent down and kissed his new fiancé deeply, spinning her around on the spot.

Katy was only dimly aware of the cheers and whistles from around them, until the broke apart and Ronnie leant across the bar and grabbed her hand roughly, examining the ring with a small scream. In seconds, Roxy and Lola were on her as well, asking questions and squealing with excitement. The teenager glanced up to see Tyler being clapped on the back by Jack and Alfie.

"Oh my god!" Roxy screeched hugging her little sister so tightly that Katy thought her was going to cut off her oxygen supply. "Oh my god!"

"Katy!" Ronnie squealed, still clutching her hand. "This is brilliant! When are you getting married?"

"Woah!" The teenager held up her hands and laughed. "Not just yet." She grinned at Tyler. "I was thinking a summer wedding might be nice."

As he paled slightly, she laughed even more, poking her tongue out at him. For a couple of minutes, she accepted congratulations and good wishes from friends and family and acquaintances, but then she got bored and politely excused herself with a smile. Tyler wrapped an arm around her as she joined him, Alfie and Roxy.

"You've definitely stolen our thunder." Alfie told him with a smile at Roxy.

"What?" Katy demanded, looking between them with a mixture of confusion and slight alarm.

"Alfie asked me and Amy to move in." Her sister said. "And I said yes."

"That's great!" Tyler said, pulling his cousin into a hug.

x-x

"Are you sure about this, Rox?" Katy asked her sister nervously the next morning, tilting her head slightly to one side as she watched the blonde carefully. She was sitting on Roxy's bed as her sister packed up hers and Amy's things ready to move into the Vic.

"What d'you mean? I thought you loved Alfie?"

The teenager nodded slowly. "I do. Of course I do. I just... I don't want you to get hurt if this is some rebound or revenge against Kat thing."

"Do you really think he would do that?" Roxy asked quietly, not looking at her sister.

"No... I don't know, Rox." Katy replied with a sigh. "You can never tell with men. But... I don't want you to get your heart broken. You deserve so much more."

"You're such a sweetheart." The blonde said with a smile, reaching over and pulling her sister towards her, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

Katy laughed, pushing her away. "Give over… come on. We're supposed to be over the Vic at eleven for photos. Hurry up or Phil will probably lock the doors on us."

Rolling her eyes, Roxy threw the last of her shoes into the suitcase and zipped it up with a flourish. She shot the teenager a cheesy grin before handing her several bags and leading her out of the room and down the stairs. They met Michael on the doorstep and he offered to help carry Roxy's bags, even after telling her that the Vic was cursed and reminding the sisters about their father's death. The sisters rolled their eyes and headed towards the pub.

"_Here she is!_" Alfie chuckled as Roxy struggled to pull her suitcase through the Vic doors. Behind her, Katy held Amy's hand tightly and bounced Ruby on her hip, trying to avoid being smacked with the door as it sprang shut behind her sister. "_My new flatmate!_"

"_Oi? Flatmate?_"

"_Yeah, well, it's like a term of endearment, OK?_" He placated her, pulling her into a noisy smooch.

Katy covered her niece's eyes. "Bloody hell…"

"_See, look at this. Arguing already; it's nauseating._" Michael muttered. It was a sentiment Katy agreed with, however happy she was for her sister.

"_Listen, mate, thanks for helping her over with the bags and all that._" Alfie said when they broke apart. "_Why don't you pop over later, have a beer? Call it a bit of a house warming, eh?_"

His cousin looked as though he'd rather pull out all his teeth while he was fully conscious. "_Yeah. Yeah, alright._" He turned to Roxy and smirked. "_I'll keep your room free._"

"_Funny eleven o'clock this is!_" Phil snapped as Michael wandered away, turning his full attention on the sisters. "_We're supposed to be doing the photograph in five minutes._"

The blonde rolled her eyes. "_Phil, I'm not dressed yet!_"

"_Come on, got to go upstairs; Jean and Tommy are waiting to show you your new digs._"

As they kissed again, Cora, Jay and Abi arrived, all fixing the pair with almost disapproving looks. Katy frowned at them, swinging Amy up onto her other hip and trying not to overbalance on her heels.

"_I'm sorry, sorry… it's just that we're, er…_"

"_We're what? What?_" Roxy challenged, grinning at Alfie.

"_We're late, that's what we are. Come on, let's go. We're late… sorry!_"

Cora arched an eyebrow as they headed away, Roxy's giggles floating back to them. "_Kat ain't been gone five minutes!_"

"Yeah, but remember what she did to him?" Katy reminded them defensively. "If Alfie wants to move on then it's his business, ain't it? Besides, Roxy would never hurt him."

"Yeah? But is she gonna get hurt?" Cora asked, shrugging and walking slowly towards Phil. Katy frowned and followed her, Abi and Jay. "_Nervous about your big day, Phil?_"

"_Happy new year,_" Jay said quietly, adding almost as an afterthought, "_mate._"

"_Cheers… get over to the fireplace, yeah?_" He ordered, motioning the photographer to where he wanted him.

"_Is that his way of saying Happy New Year?_" Abi asked, leaning towards Katy as the older girl handed her niece over. Abi smiled at her little cousin.

Glancing up as the doors opened and closed again, Phil smiled as Sharon appeared. "_Ah! At last! We're all here._"

"_Oh I don't think so, Phil._" Cora pointed out, sounding a little smug. "_Where's the christenee? Lexi?!_"

Phil frowned. "_How long does it take Billy to put a suit on?_"

Katy sighed and moved to sit down in one of the booths, pulling off one of her shoes and massaging the ball of her foot. "What?" She snapped as Phil almost glared at her.

"We're gonna take pictures; stand up!"

"They ain't even here yet!" She pointed out. "Seriously, chill out!"

Another couple of moments passed, in which Ronnie, Jack, James and Tyler arrived, before the doors opened and Billy, Lola and Lexi appeared. Phil ushered them instead, Billy catching Katy's eyes and rolling his own in response to the nagging. She smirked and got to her feet, sending Phil a sarcastic smile as she joined the others.

"_Photograph, now, yeah?_" Phil ordered, clapping his hands.

"_What if I don't want a photo?_" Lola asked. Billy shook his head and ushered her forwards.

The blonde took her place in the centre of the group; Phil on one side and Billy on the other. From her position on Billy's other side, Katy could see that her younger cousin looked far from happy. The photographer was directing them into different positions when the door beside the bar opened and the middle Mitchell sister appeared just in time to make it into the photo.

"_One wardrobe, Alfie?_" She was complaining. "_I was expecting, like, a walk-in closet with a shoe rack to the heavens!_"

"_Well, once we do a clear out we'll get some more room, won't we?_" He pointed out calmly, catching Katy's eye and smirking conspiratorially. She couldn't help smiling back, despite Cora's words about Roxy getting hurt ringing in her ears.

"_Kat's stuff, yeah?_" She clarified, before smiling at Lola, who looked slightly terrified. "_You look beautiful._"

As soon as the photographs were taken, Phil was ushering everyone out of the pub and into waiting cars. Roxy and Amy went with Alfie, Jack and Ronnie went in Jack's car and Tyler and Katy got into one of the waiting cabs. All the way to the Church, not the same one that Ruby had been christened in, the toddler sang a slightly off-key, muddled up version of jingle bells. Katy was thinking about the fact that the last time she'd been at the Church, they'd been burying Heather. It almost made her feel sick. She wondered what had possessed Phil to choose it.

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_**A/N: Thank you all for reading! :D**_

_**Also, MASSIVE thanks to Torchwood Boy and HappyHollyWolly for your reviews! **_

_**x**_


	88. Chapter 88

There was a long wait. Katy handed Ruby to Tyler and went to speak to Jay for a couple of moments, knowing that he'd have made the connection with Heather's funeral too. After a brief chat and a reassuring hug, she returned to her fiancé, linking their fingers and smiling at him. Together they headed inside, catching the end of Cora's conversation with the vicar.

"_I wasn't apologising for the remark._" She told him bluntly. "_You've got a Mitchell christening today. Sorry._"

As he smiled weakly at her, looking confused, Katy winced at him. "Cora's right; we're a nightmare… sorry."

"Can you watch Denny for a minute?" The woman asked as the vicar hurried away. "I wanna go and check Jay's alright."

Katy nodded and held out her hand to the boy. "Course, come on, sweetheart. Let's go and sit down."

They took a seat and Tyler started up a game of eye-spy. By the time that came to an end, Jay leant over the front of the pew and informed them that Lola, Lexi, Sharon and Billy were nowhere to be seen and Phil had just got into a cab and left. Katy rolled her eyes, wondering loudly how long they were going to be. Ruby was getting restless and Denny was obviously bored of their game. After a couple of moments, Tyler scooped the little boy over his shoulder and carried him outside to find something more entertaining to do, while Katy attempted to keep her daughter occupied.

"Finally!" She muttered, as Lola appeared at the back of the church and everyone took their seats.

Handing Ruby to Tyler, Katy moved to sit with Cora and Jay. She listened to the service, very similar to her daughter's christening. When it came time for the Godparents part, she stood with the other two and read the responses off the sheet. She couldn't help smirking slightly as the vicar asked whether they were willing to bring Lexi up in the Christian life of the church, knowing full well that the little girl would probably not set foot in church again except for christenings, weddings and funerals; staples of being part of their family.

As they gathered round the font, Ruby started grizzling and reaching out for her. Ignoring Phil's glare, Katy took her daughter out of Tyler's arms and bounced her gently, having to stop her reaching out to splash the water in the font. An almost silent laugh ran around everyone gathered, as they did their best to read the responses off the sheet while Ruby continued to attempt to reach the water.

"_Name this child._" The vicar requested, glancing at Lola.

"_No._" The girl replied, much to everyone's surprise and confusion. "_No, I meant what I said, Phil…_"

There was a clatter from the side of the church and they all looked around, seeing Sharon walking towards them.

Phil smirked, almost imperceptibly, and turned to the vicar. "_Can you ask her again?_"

"_Name this child?_"

"_Lexi Billie…_" There was a long pause. Katy glanced between Lola and Phil, wondering what was going on. When the girl continued, Phil gave a soft exhalation, almost of triumph. "_… Mitchell._"

"_Lexi Billie, I baptise you in the name of the Father… and the Son… and the Holy Spirit. Amen._"

After the service, Katy moved to talk to Billy, glancing at Lola who was standing with Abi and Jay. "What's with the Mitchell? I thought Lola was dead set on Lexi being a Pearce?"

"Phil suggested it."

The girl exhaled sharply. "Of course he did."

"_Phil just wanted Lola to feel part of the family, you know?_" He tried to explain.

"_Since when has Phil ever done something for nothing?_" Cora asked, raising an eyebrow at them.

"Exactly." Katy agreed with a nod. "He weren't thinking of Lo at all."

Billy rolled his eyes and gathered everyone together for a photo. There were lots of photos; around the font, at the altar, outside. Finally he was satisfied that they'd taken enough and everyone started to disband. Katy walked out with her sisters, talking quietly about Lexi's name change and what might happen now.

As they reached the gate onto the road, Tyler grasped Katy's arm, grinning at her cheerfully. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"What've you done?"

"I've just spoken to the vicar… and I've booked us a date."

Katy frowned. "A date? For what?"

Tyler grabbed her hand and raised it so that she was looking at the ring on her finger. "Our wedding, babe!"

"Oh my god… when?" She wasn't sure whether she was excited or absolutely terrified at that news.

"July 6th."

"Next year?"

Tyler laughed. "This year; seven months and five days to be exact."

For a moment Katy was speechless. "Ty! That's like no time at all to get everything organised!"

"I just figured, what's the point in waiting? We're gonna get married, so we might as well just get married!" He told her with a grin. "You, me, Rubes… we'll be a proper family."

She shook her head. "You're insane."


	89. Chapter 89

"What was he thinking?!" Katy demanded, pacing around the living room agitatedly. Her sisters sat on the sofa watching her, their calmness contrasting with her panic and slight annoyance. "July 6th?! Seven months and five days!"

"It's sweet!" Roxy told her with a grin. "That little speech about you and him and Ruby being a family–"

The teenager shook her head. "No! It's too much! It's too soon! We haven't… We've not even… We just got back together!"

"So? You love him, he loves you. Tyler asked you to marry him, you said yes, you're getting married." Roxy pointed out. "Who cares whether it's in seven weeks or seven months or seven years. The outcome is going to be the same; you'll be Mrs Moon."

"Yes, but…"

"And before you broke up, you were together for… how long?"

"Thirteen months…"

"I've known people married after less."

Katy dropped onto the sofa and almost glared at her sister. "Yes, well… It's all bloody backwards! He hasn't even asked us to move in with him! Surely that would make more sense than booking the shitting wedding!"

"Language." Ronnie said mildly, draping an arm around the teenager's shoulders.

"The kids are in bed!"

"Yes, but you don't need to swear anyway."

Rolling her eyes, Katy apologised sarcastically. "This is all too fast, isn't it? We're rushing into it."

Her sisters laughed. Ronnie kissed her forehead lightly. "Stop stressing about it, Katy. Roxy's right, you're marrying Tyler because you love him. Yes it's quite fast, but it's not like you do anything normally, do you?"

"But–"

"If you don't want to marry Tyler, don't." Ronnie suggested with a sigh. There was a long pause as Katy considered her older sister's words. When she didn't answer, the blonde smiled and hauled herself off the sofa. "I'm taking that as an 'I do want to marry him' and on that note I'm going to bed before I pass out."

x-x

The day of Derek's funeral rolled round and Katy was still debating whether or not she was going to go. Ronnie was, accompanying Jack who was bouncing between tears and anger after his brother's death. The teenager remembered the things that Derek had done to help her. She also remembered all the things he'd done that had the opposite effect on her life and the lives of the people she cared about. In the end she decided to accompany her sister, although she wasn't entirely sure whether it was to pay her respects or to make sure that he was really gone.

Even as they stood watching the wreathes being put into the back of the hearse with Derek's coffin Katy wasn't sure she'd made the right decision. Tyler stood on one side of her, squeezing her hand tightly, and Ronnie was on the other with her arm through Jack's, giving her husband as much support as she could. Katy watched blankly, memories of Heather's and her Mum's' funerals coming back vividly.

As Bianca and Liam went to pick up the Orders of Service that Carol had forgotten to collect, Katy wished she had volunteered to go instead. She watched as Poppy handed something to the blonde and Carol rushed inside. Glancing at his wife, who sent him a small nod and weak smile, Jack followed his sister into the house.

Moments later they were ready to leave. Ronnie gave Cora a lift to the Crematorium. She, Katy and Tyler spent the journey listening to the woman giving her opinions on funerals. Apparently at her age she was quite the funeral connoisseur. Katy smirked at the image that conjured; Cora as a Simon Cowell-esque figure judging the merits of various funerals and scoring them out of ten.

"And we're here." Ronnie said, relief evident in her tone as she parked in the car park beside the Crematorium. "Let's go and join the others, shall we?"

Climbing out of the car, they headed across to where everyone else was huddled outside the building, watching as the coffin was slowly lifted from the hearse and carried inside. Alice went first, with Poppy for support, followed by Max, Abi and Tanya. Ronnie, Katy and Tyler held back and followed Whitney, Bianca and Liam. They took a seat near the back, listening to the words of '_My Way_'. Katy smiled slightly, thinking how well they summed Derek up. Just before the service started the door opened again and Jack walked in, taking his seat beside Ronnie.

"Carol alright?" The blonde whispered. Jack just shook his head in reply and kept his gaze on the Vicar.

They listened and sang and made all the right responses. Finally it came time for someone to say a few words. The Vicar glanced around. "_And now a few personal words from Derek's sister. Carol?_" Max glanced around and Jack shook his head. Everyone shifted uncomfortably in their seats at the silence. "_OK… How about Joey?_" Again there was a silence. "_No? Well, umm… that's… so, if no one has any readings… a few words… poem?_"

The Vicar coughed uncomfortably as everyone stayed firmly in their seats with their heads down. Her relief was evident as Cora climbed to her feet. As she made to walk to the front, Tanya's hissed commands for her to sit down were audible even at the back of the room.

"_Someone's gotta speak up for him._" Cora informed her firmly. She settled herself at the lectern and looked around at the faces staring up at her. "_Derek Branning was an obnoxious, difficult, pig-headed little man. Yeah, he was!_" She said as everyone raised their eyebrows. Katy exchanged an almost amused look with Tyler, before returning her attention to the woman. "_I'd have cheerfully swung for him this Christmas. One of those people it's best knowing at a distance. Close up, they give you a headache._" Cora paused and glanced at the coffin for a moment. "_That's all well and good, but it's gotta be lonely, ain't it? The thing about Derek was he knew… he knew what he stood for and he had the courage to say his piece and be damned. Which as a matter of fact he often was, really, wasn't he? Come on, all you lot had a pop. Don't be shy; put your hand up anyone here ain't fell out with Derek Branning._"

Everyone looked around. No one except Bianca raised their hand and she quickly lowered hers as eyes fell on her. Katy had definitely argued with him on far more than one occasion.

Cora nodded knowingly. "_One thing we can't argue about; he touched all our lives… made an impact. You know there as a time when the East End was full of men like that; proper East End gents like Derek. Men in their prime. Men getting involved. Principles. Loyalty. Guidance; like it or lump it. Yeah… you can call that arrogance if you like… sexist. I call it manners… arm across the road and a nice little drop of malt whiskey… just like our dads. Protecting his nearest and dearest. And he did love you, Alice, more than words can say. Ten years… a decade… that's a long time… missing out at Her Majesty's Pleasure. Locked out. Everyone carrying on without you._"

At these words, Tyler wrapped an arm around Katy, noticing the tears rolling down her cheeks. He knew instinctively that she wasn't crying for Derek; she was crying for herself and the time she'd missed and the time she might have missed if things hadn't turned out so well. Cora paused as they turned as one at the sound of the door, seeing first Carol and then Joey, Lauren and Fatboy entering the room and taking their seats. Jack wrapped an arm around his older sister's shoulder as she sat beside him.

"_You know, Derek told me he kept going all those years… ten years._" Cora continued when they were all settled. "_He hoped that one day he'd get a chance to make it up to you all. Derek shouted so much 'cos he wanted someone to give a monkey's. He wanted to be at the head of your table, Max… because he wanted to be part of it. He wanted to be at the centre. Derek Branning. Loud, sentimental, old-fashioned fool. He wanted his family to respect him and love him. He wanted to be at the heart of it. And at last… just for a moment… they're all here for you, Derek. They're all gathered round._"

The mood had changed during Cora's speech. It was much more sincere after she walked back to her seat and they watched Derek's coffin disappearing from sight. Before, there had been a sense of duty about their presence. As the curtains closed around the coffin and the sound of Frank Sinatra singing '_That's Life_' surrounded them, however, the grief was genuine.

As they left the Crematorium, Katy squeezed Tyler's hand and glanced up at him. Life was too short for worrying and taking things slowly. "Who cares if we're young and it feels like it's all backwards and rushed. We're meant to be together, Tyler. I love you and I can't wait to marry you."

* * *

_**A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing guys! **_

_**I had to put Cora's funeral speech in… I thought it was actually beautiful!**_

_**I've gotta say I wasn't best pleased with Alfie in this episode… his comment about Ronnie being 'off her nut and banged up somewhere' was not appreciated… RUDE. :P**_


	90. Chapter 90

"Katy?" The teenager paused as she crossed the Square, Ruby's pram laden with bags of clothes and shoes. She waited for Lola to catch up with her before smiling and pulling the younger girl into a tight hug. "Where are you going?"

"Tyler's finally asked us to move in." Katy replied with a small chuckle. "He realised that living on the opposite side of the Square from his fiancée was a bit odd."

The blonde beamed at her. "That's brilliant!"

"Yeah… yeah it is." The older girl agreed. She bent and grinned at Lexi in the pram Lola was pushing. "So Phil let you have your daughter for a bit, then?"

"Yeah. I've got to get her back in… ten minutes."

Katy sighed and shook her head. "Why do you let him dictate to you?"

"Eh?"

"Why do you let him tell you what to do? Lexi's your daughter, not his."

Lola frowned at her, folding her arms defensively over her chest. "Yeah, but if I don't do what he wants he can stop me seeing her altogether."

"That's crap."

"Tell me about it. But what am I supposed to do, eh?"

"Well, first thing you can do is come and have a cuppa with me." Katy suggested, motioning towards the house she was moving into. "I know Ruby would love to play with her little cousin and you and me can have a chat about what you can do."

Smiling gratefully, Lola nodded and followed the older girl across the road. She manoeuvred the pram inside and left it beside Ruby's, picking up her daughter and walking into the kitchen behind Katy. Putting the kettle on, Katy complained loudly about Tyler not putting things in normal places. This brought the young man into the room, balancing Ruby on his hip. He rolled his eyes and rummaged around in a cupboard, throwing a box of teabags at her.

"You alright, Lola?" He asked, smiling warmly at the girl and reaching out to tickle Lexi's stomach. "Phil still got you on a lead?"

"Ty!" Katy frowned at him, knowing that Lola wouldn't see the funny side of his joke. "D'you want tea?"

"No, thanks, babe." He told her, kissing her cheek and pushing Ruby into her arms. "I've got to run. But… you're free tonight, yeah?"

"Yeah… why?"

"Ronnie's throwing us an engagement party at the R&R… except it was supposed to be a surprise, so pretend you don't know, alright?" He told her, shooting her a broad cheeky grin and waving at Lola. "See you later."

Katy rolled her eyes and sighed. She shook her head and carried on making the tea one-handed, bouncing Ruby slightly on her hip. When the tea was made, she poured a cup of juice for her daughter and she and Lola settled themselves at the kitchen table for a chat. By the time the time the half-drunk tea in their mugs was cold, Lola had cried her eyes out and Katy had promised that she would do everything she could to help her. Then the blonde had caught sight of the time and sworn loudly, realising she was twenty minutes late to meet Phil.

"I'll come with you." Katy told her quickly, knowing that the girl was in for a rough ride from her step-brother.

Nodding gratefully, Lola loaded Lexi back into her pram before waiting for Katy to remove the bags from Ruby's and strap her daughter in. The seventeen-month-old wriggled and cried at being secured into the seat, but Katy promised to buy her sweets if she was good and Ruby soon settled down. Lola grinned at her cousin, who rolled her eyes before returning the look.

"_Err? What time d'you call this?_" Phil demanded as the two girls rounded the corner to the Arches.

"_She filled her nappy._" Lola told him defensively. The girls had decided that telling him they had just lost track of time was more likely to end in an argument.

"_Well there's always an excuse with you, ain't there?_"

"Oh, give it a rest." Katy sighed. "If she hadn't dealt with it you'd have had a pop at her for that."

"_I had to change her, Phil._" Lola agreed.

"_D'you want her taken back in care? Do you?_" He continued.

Katy rolled her eyes. "Don't be ridiculous."

"_There's no need for that, Phil._" Sharon agreed. Katy hadn't noticed her standing just inside the Arches.

Lola nodded. "_Yeah, you tell him, Shaz._"

"_Don't you start, Lola._"

"_Which bit of 'straight back' don't you understand?_"

"_Phil she is trying!_" Sharon told him.

"_She's trying my patience, that's what she's trying._"

"Just give her a break, Phil." Katy snapped.

"_Have you seemed to have forgotten that I'm her Mum?_"

"_I'll tell you what you are; you're a liability, that's what you are._"

"Yeah?" The brunette teenager glared at him, feeling Lola on the brink of bursting into tears beside her. "And your flamin' Dad of the year, ain't you?"

"_Just pack it in, the lot of you!_" Sharon ordered, seeing Phil go bright red with anger. "_This ain't helping no one. The baby is fine, Phil. It won't happen again, will it, Lola?_"

"_No._"

"_Well it better not._" Phil told her. He scowled at Katy. "You're a bad influence."

"Oh, fuc–" She started angrily, but Sharon cut her off quickly.

"Come on, girls."

As Phil pushed Lexi's pram into the garage, the teenagers turned on their heels heading away. Katy guided Lola's hands onto the handles of Ruby's pram and let the younger girl push it. Lola smiled weakly at the gesture, before her face settled into a scowl again. Sighing, the older girl followed in her wake, almost having to jog to keep up.

They went to the café for a drink, Katy letting Lola rant until she was tired of complaining and burst into angry sobs. The older girl wrapped an arm around her cousin and led her back to her house, settling her in the living room with Ruby while she carried on unpacking their things and trying to turn the house into something resembling a home rather than a bachelor pad.

A couple of hours later Katy had unpacked all their things, put them away and cleaned the house thoroughly and Lola had calmed down. Placing two mugs of tea on the coffee table, the brunette dropped onto the sofa beside her cousin and yawned widely. She smiled and nudged Lola in the ribs companionably.

"It's good to see you smiling again, darlin'." She said quietly.

"You look knackered." Lola replied softly. "I shoulda helped… sorry…"

"Don't be silly… you've done me a massive favour watching Rubes."

"You gonna be alright for your engagement party?"

The brunette laughed. "Course I am; I ain't got a choice!"

They sipped their tea in silence, watching the game show that had come on the television without taking it in. Halfway through the final round, Lola's phone went off and she answered quickly, telling Jay where she was. Five minutes later there was a knock on the door and the boy and his girlfriend invited themselves inside; Jay dropping into the armchair and Abi settling herself on the floor with Ruby. Ten minutes after that, the doorbell rang again and Lauren, Whitney, Fatboy and Joey appeared.

"We thought we'd give you an unofficial housewarming." Whitney told her with a grin, seating herself on Fatboy's lap on the sofa.

"But you are gonna have a proper one, right?" Her boyfriend asked, almost concerned that she might not be considering it.

"Course we are." Katy assured them. She grinned at Lola, who was the only one who knew she knew about the surprise engagement party. "What about tonight?"

At once everyone exchanged nervous glances and began muttering excuses as to why they couldn't make it to the house that evening. Katy laughed softly and shrugged. Pulling herself to her feet, she asked who wanted to stay for tea; groaning when everyone raised their hands. Then she shrugged and headed into the kitchen, followed by Lauren and Whitney. Fatboy headed out to see if Tyler was on his way back, while the three girls whipped up enough sweet and sour chicken stir fry to feed an army; or just the ten people that needed feeding.


	91. Chapter 91

"You ready yet, babe?" Tyler shouted up the stairs for about the fifth time. Jack and Ronnie had instructed him to get Katy over to the R&R for about eight. It was currently half past and she showed no signs of being ready to go.

"Have you taken Rubes over to Jean?" Katy called down, moving from the bathroom to the bedroom and picking up her jacket, bag and shoes.

"Yes, babe! An hour ago!"

"Alright, alright!" The girl replied, rolling her eyes. "I'm ready, OK?"

He raised his eyebrows as she appeared at the top of the stairs, letting out a low whistle. Katy grinned at him and descended slowly, pausing at the bottom and twirling slowly on the spot. Tyler wrapped his arms around her and kissed her softly. As Katy leant into him, moving her hands up to run through his hair, he pushed her up against the wall at the bottom of the stairs and pressed their bodies close together.

"Ty… Tyler!" Katy giggled, pushing him off her. "Come on, we're already late. Ronnie will be over here knocking on the door if we don't go now."

"I don't want to share you."

"You haven't got a choice." She reminded him.

Tyler sighed. "How long d'you think we have to stay? Ten minutes?"

Laughing, Katy shrugged her jacket on and grabbed his hand. "Don't be silly; it's our family and friends. If they've gone to the effort of planning us a surprise party then the least we can do is turn up and spend time with them." She reasoned, kissing him quickly and pulling him towards the door. "Besides, when have you ever turned down a night out? I'm guessing that the drinks will be paid for?"

He grinned and linked their fingers, pulling her outside and closing the door behind them. As they headed along Bridge Street, he slung an arm around her shoulders and held her close. They joked about the wedding as they walked; Tyler saying that he could imagine her sisters, Lauren and Whitney in big, peach meringue dresses, following her down the aisle. She grinned and told him that Anthony would look gorgeous in a velvet page boy outfit as they nodded at the bouncers. Jeff raised the rope and let them in, bypassing the queue that was building up along the wall.

"I thought we were just going out for a drink?" Katy said loudly, grinning at him as he led her towards the VIP room.

"We are, babe." He replied, trying not to laugh.

Winking at her, he pushed the doors open and propelled Katy inside, standing back as the lights clicked on and a shout of 'surprise!' ran around the room. Turning to him and forcing her face into a shocked expression, Katy saw Tyler nod and grin at her, before she turned back to look at the people gathered in front of her. Ronnie and Roxy leapt at her, pulling her into a tight hug and smothering her with kisses as she hugged them tightly.

"Thank you." She whispered, a massive amount of love surging through her as she thought about what they'd done. "Thank you!"

"Our pleasure, sweetie." Ronnie told her, cupping her face and smiling, before kissing her cheek.

"You deserve it." Roxy added, kissing the side of her head.

In quick succession Jack, Alfie, Lauren, Whitney, Fatboy, Lola, Abi, Jay, Shirley, Tanya, Max, Bianca, Carol, Alice and Poppy all descended on the couple. When she finally had space to breathe, Katy folded herself into Tyler's arms. She looked up at him and smiled. He returned the look, bending down to press a kiss to her lips, before pulling away and glancing up.

"There's someone else here to see you." He muttered, nodding to someone standing behind her.

Curiously, Katy turned to see who he meant. Her eyes widened for a moment, before she beamed and threw herself on the blonde woman who was smiling at her. Hugging the woman tightly, Katy pulled away and led her over to the bar, picking up two glasses of champagne.

"Karen!" She grinned happily. "I'm so glad you're here. How are you? I thought you'd forgotten all about me."

"Forget you, Katy?" The woman laughed huskily, sipping her drink. "I don't think that's possible. Besides, your friends keep asking me for news about you. They're delighted about your engagement; expect a card at some point."

The teenager laughed. "I feel awful that I haven't seen them. I asked Mr Jackson to remind them to send me a VO."

"Pat was going to, but things kicked off with Beth Bayliss and she's been down the block." Karen informed her. Seeing the expression on the girl's face, she smiled. "Don't worry, she's alright. I'll tell her you want to see her."

"You better." Taking a sip of champagne, she shook her head. "But you don't want to talk about work! How are you?"

Karen chuckled. "I'm fine, as always. Working too many hours and drinking too much scotch."

"And smoking too many fags?"

The woman rolled her eyes. "Have you kicked it?"

"Oh don't!" Katy shushed her with a grin, flapping her hands in the Prison Officer's direction. "Seriously, let's just say I've cut down. Prison is terrible for picking up bad habits."

"Tell me about it… I'm not even a Con." She shook her head. "You haven't even shown me the ring, yet?"

Holding out her hand, she grinned as the woman examined her engagement ring with a critical eye. Karen smiled at her and informed her that she was a lucky woman, something that Katy was only too happy to agree with, glancing over to where Tyler was joking around with Michael and Alfie.

Shirley wandered over to join them. After a couple of moments, Katy left the blondes chatting and made her way over to the three men. She rolled her eyes as Alfie joked about her being on Tyler's case already and smiled at her fiancé as he wrapped his arms around her firmly, kissing her neck.

"Can we leave yet?" He muttered in her ear, causing Katy to shiver slightly as his breath ran down her neck.

"No!" She told him with a grin, twisting in his arms so that she was facing him. He clasped his hands behind her, circling her waist loosely and she leant back, grinning up at him. "Behave!"

"You behave." He told her childishly, leaning down to kiss her.

She smiled against his mouth and wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing herself as close to him as she could. One of Tyler's hands moved up to tangle in her hair and the other clasped her waist tightly, holding her close. Katy had drunk almost an entire bottle of champagne already and found that she didn't care that they were surrounded by their family and friends. Tyler, having consumed even more, was similarly unbothered and walked them unsteadily towards the edge of the room, pushing her against the wall.

"OK…" Ronnie murmured after a couple of moments, separating them with a smile. "As much as I love my niece, I don't want to witness the conception of her brother or sister, so quit it."

Katy blushed, burying her head in Tyler's chest. Then it occurred to her that Ronnie must be quite drunk herself to have said something like that and she grinned. Pulling away from Tyler, she grabbed her sister's hand and dragged her towards the middle of the floor, ordering her to dance with her. After a couple of moments, Roxy joined them; the three sisters taking the saying 'dance look nobody's watching' literally.


	92. Chapter 92

The next morning Katy had the hangover from hell. Tyler was up and off out to the stall early, but the girl just lifted Ruby out of her cot and crawled back into bed with her daughter. The little girl had other ideas and was soon clambering all over her mother in an attempt to force her to get up. In the end Katy gave in and crawled out of bed.

After two mugs of strong coffee and painkillers, Katy was feeling much better. She coerced her daughter into her coat and into the pram and set off across the Square in search of her sister. Banging on the doors of the Vic, she smiled as Alfie walked out, shooting her a distracted smile as he went. Pushing through, the teenager frowned at the expression on her sister's face. Roxy shook her head and dropped onto the padded bench in the nearest booth.

"What's up?"

"Nothing."

"Right…" Katy didn't look convinced, but she shrugged. "Any chance of a job?"

"A job?"

"Yes, Roxy, you know… one of them things what you do to get money."

The blonde smirked. "I thought that was what Ronnie was for? You bat your eyelashes and big sis hands over the cash."

"Don't be ridiculous!" Her sister muttered, affronted at the accusation. "That's not what happens."

"Yeah, it is." Roxy informed her firmly, arching an eyebrow.

Katy sighed. "So can I have a job?"

"We haven't got any, babe, sorry." Her sister replied with an apologetic smile. Behind the bar, Jean snorted and Katy looked at her in confusion. "Oh… she's just in a mood because Alfie and I gave Bianca and Kat a job cleaning."

"Right…" Katy raised an eyebrow at the idea of her sister working alongside Alfie's wife. "Are you mental?"

Avoiding the question, the blonde shrugged. "So, why d'you want a job, anyway?"

"Stupid question, Rox." The teenager muttered. "Look… I've got a wedding to plan and pay for, bills to deal with and a daughter to take care of. I need a job."

"Have you asked Ronnie about working at the club?"

"Not yet… I thought I'd ask you first."

"Why?" Roxy asked suspiciously, narrowing her eyes.

The teenager screwed up her face. "I don't think I can work at the club with Sharon as my boss, considering she's actually doing my job."

"It was your job." Her sister pointed out, stressing the fact that it was in the past. "But now it's Sharon's job. You've just got to deal with that. Anyway, there's no guarantee she'll stick around, so it might be your job again at some point."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah… So you've got no job for me?" Katy stood up, manoeuvring the pram towards the doors. "I'll see you later."

x-x

In the end Katy decided that she would have to swallow her pride and ask Ronnie for a job behind the bar at the R&R. The blonde had agreed at once, not mentioning the impossibility of giving the teenager her old job back. She had, however, had a word with Sharon before Katy arrived for her first shift and informed her of the situation; the last thing she wanted was for the woman to treat Katy as though she didn't know what she was doing. Knowing her younger sister, the teenager would have kicked off and stormed out.

As it was, Sharon simply smiled at her and let her get on with her job. Katy still didn't like her, or trust her, after the whole issue with Lola and Phil, but she did her best not to let that affect her ability to work with the woman.

Lauren had phoned her on Tuesday morning and demanded that she came round. Wondering what could possibly have put her friend in such a strop, the young woman had headed for the Brannings' straight away, balancing Ruby on her hip not bothering to put her in the pram just to cross the Square. She smiled at Tanya as the blonde opened the door, grinning as her daughter reached out for the woman.

"I thought most toddlers were shy at her age." Katy sighed, handing her daughter over. "But Ruby loves being the centre of attention. She'll go to anyone."

"Lauren was just the same." Tanya informed her, smiling down at the little girl. Then she glanced back at Katy and they exchanged a look.

"Great…" The teenager sighed jokily. "Is she upstairs?"

"Yeah." Handing Ruby back to her mother, the woman nodded. "She's in a funny mood this morning."

"I'll go and see what's up."

Following the familiar route up the stairs to her friend's bedroom, the brunette knocked and pushed the door open without waiting for a response. Lauren was lying face down on her bed and barely glanced up at the intrusion. She let out a low groan as she saw who it was, before rolling onto her back and blinking up at Katy. The older girl sat her daughter on her Godmother's stomach before seating herself on Lauren's bed.

"What d'you want?" She asked bluntly.

"Dot's back."

Katy arched an eyebrow. "Really? That's good. I'll pop over and see her in a bit."

"She caught me and Joey…"

"Doing what?" Her friend asked, a smirk twisting her lips.

"Doing what you and Tyler were doing at your engagement party."

"Oh…" Realisation crossed Katy's face. "Oh! Does she know who he is?"

Lauren shook her head. "No… but she will, won't she? She might even know now. This is a disaster!"

"Maybe it's a good thing?"

"How could it possibly be a good thing?" Lauren snapped.

With a shrug the older girl sighed and looked around her friend's room, as though looking for inspiration. "It's going to come out at some point anyway. And the sooner everyone knows, the sooner you can stop sneaking around and be normal for once in your life."

"Somehow I don't think everyone else will take it as calmly as you did."

"I've realised recently that you can't base your life on what other people think. Screw them! I bet people thought Tyler and I were mental for getting engaged, let alone setting the wedding date in just a few months. But it's our life, not theirs. We're not hurting anyone and neither are you and Joey." Katy told her seriously. "I reckon he's good for you. You're not such a knob when he's around."

"Thanks… I think."

"It's true. You're sort of… calmer. Less… mental."

"If you're trying to make me feel better you're doing a shit job." Lauren told her.

Katy shrugged. "I'm just telling you the truth."

"Yeah, well, I can do without it at the moment."

Sighing, the older teenager shrugged and made to stand up. Her friend stopped her with a long exhalation and an apology. Katy settled herself back down on the bed, leaning back against the wall and asking Lauren what she was planning on doing about the situation. The girl shrugged and sighed again. Realising that talking about it was just making her uptight, Katy changed the subject.

They talked about various things for a while, Lauren bringing up the subject of Katy and Tyler's wedding. She demanded that the teenager not turn into a wedding-crazed weirdo like her mother had done and Katy had laughed, promising to do no such thing. She told Lauren that her sisters were far more excited about the organisation than she was and she would probably let them do the majority of the work.

"I better go." Katy said finally, standing up and stretching. She took Ruby off Lauren and balanced her on her hip. "I'm working later and I said I'd take Amy, James and Tommy to playgroup this afternoon. I don't suppose you fancy…?"

"No!" Lauren answered at once. "No way."

With a laugh, Katy shrugged and nodded. The two girls headed downstairs together, laughing at the thought of Lauren volunteering to spend the afternoon with a load of toddlers. Just as they reached the bottom of the stairs, Tanya glanced up from the armchair in the living room.

"_Lauren, is that you? Come and say hello to your Grandma._" She commanded. "Katy's here, too."

"_Hi, Grandma._" Lauren called, only Katy and Dot knowing the reason for her discomfort.

Dot wrinkled her nose in disapproval. "_Lauren._"

"Hey, Mrs Branning." The Mitchell said quickly with a smile. "How are you? It's lovely to see you back."

"_Umm… it's nice to see you, but I'm late._" Lauren muttered as the woman fixed her with a hard stare.

Her mother frowned. "_Late?_"

"_Yeah… for a… thing._"

"She said she'd come to playgroup with me. I've got four kids to take and I might go mental on my own!" Katy supplied, nudging her friend in the ribs.

"Yeah… that." Lauren agreed, grabbing Katy by the arm and dragging her to the door. She ignored Max calling after her, closing the door with a bang.

* * *

_**A/N: Dot's back! Yess! :D**_


	93. Chapter 93

"Babe… please get down the R&R… I'm desperate." Lauren moaned down the phone to her friend.

Katy sighed. "Lor… It's my night off! I don't feel like hanging round work when I don't have to."

"You don't understand. My Mum is totally off her face hammered. She's threatening to do karaoke."

With another, deep sigh of resignation, the brunette turned to her fiancé, covering the mouthpiece of her mobile. "Baby, would I mind if I went out for an hour or so. Lauren needs moral support."

"Course not. I've got my favourite girl here anyway." He replied with a smirk, kissing the top of Ruby's head. "Go and have some fun."

Giving him a quick kiss, Katy got up and went to get ready, telling Lauren she'd be over in a couple of minutes.

She arrived in time to see Tanya singing the final couple of notes of Dancing Queen, before almost falling off the stage. The blonde tottered back towards the bar where Katy had just joined her friend, leaning against the surface between Lauren and her grandmother.

"_Surprise me!_" Tanya told Joey, who was waiting for a drink order.

Katy and Lauren exchanged a glance, before the younger girl spoke. "_You think that's a good idea, Mum?_"

"_Oh… I don't know 'til I try, do I?_" Her mother reasoned.

"_Maybe you should just go home?_"

There was a slight pause. Lauren glanced warily at Katy, wondering what her mother's reaction to the suggestion would be. For a moment it seemed as though Tanya was about to tell her off. But then she grinned and let out a drunken laugh.

"_Lauren. Oh, Lauren! Seriously? Are you telling me to not drink?_"

"_She's only trying to look out for you._" Cora told her daughter seriously. Sensing the tension rising, Katy took a large gulp of the vodka and coke Joey had just handed her, smiling gratefully at him.

"_Oh, sorry, if I'm embarrassing you. Why don't you go and speak to your new best friend?_" Tanya asked her daughter in irritation. Katy frowned at Joey questioningly and he shrugged, apparently not knowing what she was getting at either. They only had to wait a second or two before the blonde clarified. "_To your Kirsty. Yeah?_"

"_Maybe it is time to call it a day, babe?_" Sharon suggested, seeing the hurt that had crossed Lauren's face at her mother's words.

"_Oh, right… Oh, I get it. So none of you are here to have a good time at all, huh? No? You're just here out of pity, yeah?_"

"_We're just trying to help._"

"_Well I don't need your help._" Tanya spat. The effect of her anger was spoilt slightly by the fact she was swaying slightly and grasping at the bar for support. "_Alright? I'm fine._"

Tanya stalked out unsteadily. Cora followed at once, patting her granddaughter on the shoulder and leaving them at the bar. Sharon sighed, before heading through to the office. Left on their own, Lauren buried her head in Katy's shoulder and the older girl stroked her hair gently, knowing that nothing she could say would make Lauren feel better at the moment. All she knew was that it was probably a good idea to keep her friend away from alcohol.

For a while they stayed like that in silence, Lauren clinging on as though her friend was a lifeline. But then Katy's mobile started ringing and the older girl carefully disentangled herself and glanced at the screen. Seeing Lola's name and guessing that it probably had something to do with Lexi, she told Lauren she wouldn't be long and headed out of the club. Tony, the bouncer, winked at her as she walked past him, pressing the phone to her ear.

"Lo? What's up? Is everything OK?"

"No it's bloody not!" The blonde raged. Katy winced and turned down the volume on her phone slightly. "Phil's taking Lexi away!"

The brunette frowned. "What d'you mean he's taking her away? He can't do that?"

"He wants to take her to Cornwall with Peggy for two weeks. He never even told me! He ain't told the social either!"

"Have you told the social?"

"Yeah, I've rang them loads of times."

Glancing at the time, Katy sighed. "D'you want me to come round?"

"Yeah. Please." Her cousin agreed quickly. She sighed. "You said you'd make sure I didn't lose her, K."

"I know… I will. I promise. See you in a minute."

Ducking back into the R&R, Katy told Lauren that she had something to sort and wouldn't be long. Sending a warning look at Joey, which she hoped he understood meant that she expected Lauren to still be sober when she came back, the young woman left the club and made her way round to Billy and Lola's flat. She knocked on the door and waited, shivering as the cold suddenly hit her.

"Katy, hi." Billy smiled anxiously, ushering her inside.

"Lola said–"

"The social worker's here." He informed her quickly, nodding his head towards the living room.

"Oh… OK." Realising that he didn't want her to make a scene, Katy followed him through the door just in time to hear Lola inform the woman that she wanted to see her solicitor.

The social worker sighed and told Lola that she was perfectly entitled to do so. She gave the girl a few pointers and bits of information, before telling her she'd contact her tomorrow and leaving. Billy showed her out, while Katy frowned at her younger cousin.

"What was that about? The Cornwall thing?"

"Yeah." Lola nodded, folding her arms and pacing around the room. "I'm not letting him control everything. I'm gonna stop him taking her."

"Can you do that?" Katy asked with a frown.

Billy nodded, perching on the arm of the sofa. "Yeah… but it means that if Phil still wants to go Lexi'll have to go into temporary foster care."

"Oh… and is that what you want?"

"I want my daughter back." Lola said, her bottom lip quivering as she tried not to cry.

"We know that." Her grandfather said, pulling her into his arms.

"Lo… don't think that I'm on Phil's side or nothing…" Katy started, holding up her hands as the younger girl opened her mouth to protest at what she thought was coming. "But surely it's better that Phil takes her and she doesn't have to go back into care?"

"I thought you were on my side!" The blonde almost shouted, glaring at her cousin furiously.

Katy sighed. "I am, babe. I just think that in the long run this is better."

"Why? So she can go and meet some old lady that–"

"Oi!" The brunette glared at her angrily. "You've got a problem with Phil, that's fine. But never bad-mouth Auntie Peg in front of me, right? Lexi could do far worse than having her as her great-nan." Sensing that Lola was about to argue, Katy jabbed her finger at the younger girl. "Seriously, I mean it. I won't listen to you insulting her."

Lola rolled her eyes and sighed theatrically. "Alright, fine! So what do you think I should do?"

"It's up to you, Lo… but if I were you, I'd let Phil take Lexi on holiday and I'd get him to agree to let you go down for a couple of days as well. That way you'd get to spend time with your daughter and meet Auntie Peggy yourself."

The young mum snorted and rolled her eyes again, stamping into her bedroom and slamming the door. Billy shrugged at the brunette, who sighed and stood up.

"Thanks for trying, Katy."

"It's alright… hopefully she'll come to her senses and realise that she might lose this fight, but there's still a war on." His cousin said, heading towards the flat door.

* * *

_**A/N: What's this?! An update?!**_

_**I'm sorry about the wait! I've been busy and, when I haven't been busy, I've been lazy! I've also missed about a week of Eastenders, which doesn't help matters!**_

_**Anyway, thank you for reading, reviewing, following and favouriting! It means a lot!**_

_**x**_


	94. Chapter 94

Katy agreed to cover Joey's shift at the club so that he could go to the party at Lauren's. She sighed as her friend tried to convince her to find someone else to cover the shift so that the older girl could come too. Katy shook her head and informed her that if she didn't cover it then Joey would have to work and he would probably be more use at her house if things got out of hand.

By the next morning, she had heard from several different people what had happened at the Brannings and wasn't sure whether to find it funny or to be concerned that Tanya had lost the plot. Katy had tried ringing Lauren several times, but she wasn't answering her phone.

A visiting order had arrived from Larkhall that morning and Katy was slightly panicked by the fact it was for the next day. She took several deep breaths as she stared at the piece of paper in her hand. She decided that she needed to prepare herself to go back to the prison. She would be on the other side of the table, but it was still the same building where she'd been locked up for five months. They were the same bars on the windows, the same locked gates.

Heading across the Square on her way to take Ruby to playgroup, the young woman bumped into Bianca making her way home. She had a thunderous expression on her face, head down and marching through the gardens angrily.

"Hey, B? What's up?" Katy asked, realising that something serious must have happened. Then again, there was a drama nearly every hour in Whitney's family.

"Sharon's just given me the sack." She snapped. Then she sighed and rubbed her hand across her forehead tiredly. "Sorry… I know it ain't your fault."

Katy frowned lightly. "Why'd she sack you?"

"She was mouthing off about Morgan when it was actually her son that hit mine!"

"Cow." The young woman muttered, shaking her head. "Listen, right, I'll have a word with Ronnie and see if she can change Sharon's mind."

"Really?" Bianca beamed at her.

Grinning back, Katy nodded. "I ain't promising nothing; she might not be able to convince her highness' to reconsider."

"No, I know. But thanks, babe!"

Laughing softly as the red-head bounded away in a much better mood than she had been moments before, Katy continued towards the community centre. Once she'd unloaded her daughter from her pram and left her with one of the other mums, the young woman went outside and rang her sister. She pleaded Bianca's case, reminding Ronnie that she had kids to support. With a sigh, the older woman promised to do her best to convince Sharon.

x-x

"Katy!" She frowned as she heard Michael shouting after her the next day. Unable to fight her curiosity, the young woman paused and waited for him to catch her up. "I need a favour. Can you look after Scarlett for a bit? I'll pay you."

"I can't, Michael, sorry." She replied. "Unless you don't mind me taking her into prison with me?"

"Eh?"

"I've got a VO." Katy informed him. "I'm on my way to Larkhall for visiting now."

He sighed and waved his head dismissively as he headed away, no doubt looking for someone else to look after his daughter. Katy smirked after him, before turning and walking quickly towards the tube station, pushing Ruby's pram in front of her. She glanced at her watch nervously as she sped towards her stop. Getting off she almost ran to the bus stop to avoid missing the bus that would take her to just outside the prison.

Katy and Ruby had half an hour to kill before visiting time, so the brunette made her way to the café just round the corner. Bouncing Ruby on her knee, she attempted to drink a mug of tea while the little girl grabbed at it and giggled as her mother pretended to growl in annoyance. Finally giving up, Katy screwed her face up at the toddler, before leaning down and rubbing their noses together. Ruby giggled happily.

"She's beautiful." An elderly woman said, pausing beside the table and smiling at the brunette and her daughter. "How old is she?"

"Seventeen months." Katy replied, smiling proudly down at her daughter.

The woman clucked and smiled. "You look after her."

"I will." The Mitchell assured her, watching as the woman walked away.

For a couple of moments she sat in contemplative silence. Then she gulped down the rest of her tea and gathered up their things. Ruby protested as Katy attempted to strap her back into her pram, but her mother persisted and finally the toddler stopped struggled and started sulking instead.

Wheeling her out of the café and in the direction of the imposing stone building, Katy sighed. "Stop sulking, sweetie. No one's gonna wanna talk to you if you're all sulky, are they?"

Flashing her visiting order at the officer on the gate, Katy reluctantly allowed herself and Ruby to be searched. They left the pram in the office beside the gate and headed towards the visiting room, Katy muttering under her breath about them still treating her like a criminal. She might be on the other side of the bars now, but the 'them and us' culture of the prison was natural. Apparently, as a Mitchell, being suspicious of the police was an instinctive reflex in the young woman and that extended to the screws. She frowned as they were lined up outside the visiting room and searched again.

"Yeah, because I've crutched a load of smack between here and the gate." Katy muttered sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"Who knows what you're capable of, Mitchell." Henderson murmured snidely, smirking at her as he regarded the young woman carefully.

"Oi, it's Miss Mitchell to you." She snapped back. "I ain't a con anymore. You can't push me around."

He chuckled. "At the moment…"

Before Katy could reply, there was a loud exhalation of breath and then a bored voice sounded around the room as the door opened. "Come in please. And remember, you are here to speak to one inmate and one only."

"Do you ever get bored of saying that?" The brunette asked innocently, smiling as she walked past Mrs Hollamby into the visiting room.

"No." The prison officer snapped, frowning at her. "Never thought I'd see you back in here; not on this side, anyway. I can't say it's a pleasure."

"The feeling's mutual, Bodybag." Katy assured her, grinning at the affronted expression on the woman's face and heading to the table where Pat was waiting for her.

She smiled broadly and hugged the lifer tightly before taking her seat opposite her friend. She bounced Ruby on her knee and asked all about the goings on at the prison since she'd left. Pat briefly talked about what had been happening, before turning the conversation round to focus on the young woman.

"So? Betts said you had a surprise for us? She wouldn't tell us what it was."

Katy grinned and held out her left hand. Pat shook her head, taking her hand and examining the ring. She let out a low whistle. "So you and whatshisname are back on, then?"

"I hope so." Katy agreed with a giggle. "Can I have my hand back?"

Pat laughed and released her. "The Julies and Tina are gonna be gutted they never got to see the ring."

"Tell them to send me a VO, then!" She laughed. "Listen… I was thinking; the Julies and Tina should be out by July, shouldn't they? As long as they keep themselves out of trouble, I mean. And if I square it with Karen, d'you wanna come to the wedding?"

"Really?" The woman looked slightly surprised.

"Well, yeah… It would mean a lot to me if you were there. I owe you for getting me through in one piece." Katy smiled at the cynical look on her friend's face. "I'll talk to Karen."

"Is Betts gonna agree to that? I mean, usually it's only close relatives and stuff, isn't it?"

"I'm sure she'll make an exception!"


	95. Chapter 95

"Hello, you!" Karen chuckled, bending down to chuck Ruby under her chin. The Wing Governor had been waiting for visiting time to end, hoping to catch up with the young woman before she left. "How are you? How're the wedding plans coming on."

Katy groaned. "Oh, don't!" Then she shot Karen a sly look. "Actually, I was hoping to bump into you."

"Oh no… What d'you want?" The blonde groaned dramatically. Glancing around, she spotted Hollamby standing a little way off, blatantly listening in. "Come on, let's go to my office."

Following Karen with a growing sense of déjà vu, Katy grinned as the Wing Governor deliberately chose the route that would take them past G Wing. She paused by the officer's room and muttered something about needing to collect a file from inside, leaving the young woman beside the gates.

There was a loud, high-pitched squeal and Katy turned to see several figures running towards her. She grinned and laughed as they all started talking at once. Glancing up, Katy saw Pat leaning over the railings from the 3's. The older woman was smirking and shaking her head, before slowly turning and making her way down the metal staircases towards the association area.

"Katy! What are you doing here, love?" Julie Saunders asked with a broad grin.

"Doing here?" Julie Johnson echoed.

"I bumped into Karen, Miss Betts, after visiting Pat and needed to ask her a favour. Obviously she needed to pick something up from the PO room on the way." Katy informed them with a giggle. "Although I wouldn't be surprised if she's empty handed when she comes out."

"Hello!" Tina cooed at Ruby, who looked at her for a moment with her head tilted to one side questioningly. Then the toddler's face burst into a broad grin and she giggled. "She's so cute!"

"She has her moments, don't you, Rubes?" Her mother agreed. "Listen, I don't know how long Karen's going to be, so I need to be quick." She shifted Ruby in her arms so that she could show them her engagement ring. "Me and Ty are getting married in the summer. I want you three to be there. And Pat, obviously, which is why I need to ask Karen a favour."

"Me and Ju get out in May, don't we, Ju?" Julie S informed her with a grin, turning to her taller friend for confirmation.

Julie J nodded. "In May."

"Good… fingers crossed you ain't ambushed on your way out, then! What about you, T?"

"I'm out in June."

Katy beamed at her. "Brilliant! This time, try not to get yourself sent back in. Not until after my wedding, anyway!"

"We love a good wedding, don't we, Ju?"

"Absolutely love one, Ju."

"Is it going to be dead posh?" Tina asked excitedly. "I've never been to a wedding before. Not a proper one in a church and that."

"She's a Mitchell." Pat reminded the young woman, swaggering towards them from the bottom of the staircase. "It's gonna be carnage."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Katy replied, rolling her eyes. "Although Pat's probably right. Living on Albert Square seems to be a bit of a curse for weddings… My sister's wedding descended into slight chaos when someone… naming no names… nicked the money to pay for it and her Mum had to distract the manager so they could actually get married. And my mate Lauren's Mum's last wedding was a bit of a disaster as well… she was supposed to be getting married again at Christmas too and never even made it to the church."

"Sounds like we shouldn't get our hopes up, then." The lifer said with a grin.

Katy frowned at her. "Me and Ty are different. We ain't got no secrets to ruin our wedding."

"I was joking!"

"Alright you lot?" Karen asked, appearing at Katy's shoulder as the young woman stuck her tongue out at her friend on the other side of the bars. "She told you her news, then?"

"Yeah! It's so lovely!" Tina gushed excitedly. "I'm gonna keep my head down and make sure I get out in time."

The Wing Governor smiled. "I'm glad to hear it, Tina. Now, we'd better go and you can ask me whatever it is you wanted to ask. I'll see you later, ladies."

They huddled – the Julies and Tina, anyway, while Pat leant against the bars and listened quietly to their excited chatter – as Karen and Katy headed away. Once they were safely in the privacy of the blonde's office, she allowed herself a sigh of relief, smiling broadly at the teenager and asking about Shirley and her sisters. Katy gave her a quick account of how things were going on the Square.

"So, what is it you wanted?" Karen asked finally, reaching into her desk and pulling out a bottle of scotch. She poured two healthy measures and pushed one across the surface to the young woman.

"I know that special day releases are meant to only be for close family, but I really want Pat at my wedding." The brunette said quickly, taking a sip of her scotch. "I know I'm asking a lot, Karen."

The blonde sighed deeply. "I don't know if I can do that, Katy. Trying to convince the Number One to let lifers out for anything is a nightmare, but a friend's wedding?"

"I know, I know…"

"I'll have to think about the best way to approach this." Karen told her slowly, rolling her glass in her hand. "I'll do my best."

The young woman smiled at her. "I know. I appreciate it, Karen. Thank you so much."

There was a pause as Ruby struggled and did her best to escape from her mother's embrace. With a sigh the young woman gently lowered the toddler to the floor, keeping an eye on her as she began wandering around Karen's office exploring.

"You do realise that your wedding will be the talk of the wing for months?" Karen chuckled.

"Yeah. But you know, that's–" She broke off as her daughter grabbed hold of the phone on Karen's desk. "Ruby, no."

"No no no!"

Karen laughed and gently removed the receiver from Ruby's hands. Settling her on her lap, the Wing Governor pulled a face at the little girl who giggled. "Look, I'll do my best to get Pat there, but I honestly can't promise."

"I know." Katy assured her for about the third time. "There is one more thing… if you do manage to get the Governing Governor to OK Pat to come to the wedding, can you get one of the other POs to escort her? I want you to be there as an actual guest."

"I think I'll definitely be able to arrange that part. Sylvia loves a good wedding!"

"I do not want Bodybag there!" The young woman laughed, shuddering slightly. "Can you imagine walking down the aisle on what's supposed to be the happiest day of your life and seeing her scowling at you?"

The blonde winked. "Oh, but she'll be devastated not to be invited to a Mitchell wedding!"

"Yeah, because she's afraid she'll miss out on some massive drama that she can gossip about with the rest of the POs later. I know what old Bodybag thinks about me and my family; a load of criminals and thugs." She paused and smirked. "She's not totally wrong, either. And there probably will be a massive drama of some sort."

"It won't be Sylvia, I promise." Karen assured her with a wry smile.

* * *

_**A/N: Thank you everyone for reading!**_

_**Thanks to **_**Torchwood Boy**_**, **_**Gillian Kearney Fan**_** and **_**acelili**_** for your reviews over the last couple of chapters! :)**_

_**x**_


	96. Chapter 96

Almost as soon as Katy got off the tube in Walford after visiting Larkhall her mobile rang. Seeing Lola's name on the screen she sighed and answered the call, clamping the phone between her ear and shoulder as she manoeuvred Ruby's pram out of the station.

"Lola, you alright?"

"Phil's taken her. He's just gone."

"And you're OK with that?" Katy asked, slightly apprehensive about the response she'd receive.

There was a long sigh from the other end. "I ain't got a choice, have I? Phil can give Lexi holidays and stuff that I can't."

"Look, Lo… in the long run it's for the best. Besides, what if I have a word with Auntie Peg and see if she minds us popping down there for a couple of days?" Katy suggested, heading through the market. "Hang on a sec, Lola." She covered the mouthpiece and grabbed Bianca's arm. The red-head jumped and turned quickly. "B… I'm really sorry about your job. I asked Ronnie and she said she'd speak to Sharon, but apparently she's refusing to change her mind."

"It's alright… we've got a plan."

"We?"

"Me and Kat. We're gonna start a stall on the market selling clothes and that." Bianca informed her with a grin. "So don't you go worrying about me."

"That sounds… wow!" Katy smiled at her. "I hope it works out, yeah?"

As the woman spotted Kat and headed towards her, sending the young brunette a warm smile and squeezing her arm as she went, Katy raised her mobile again. "Sorry, babe. What was I saying?"

"You said we should go to Cornwall." Lola reminded her quickly.

"Oh, yeah, right. What d'you reckon? I'll have to clear it with Peg, but she's more likely to agree than Phil is."

"And you'll come with me, yeah?" The younger girl clarified, sounding nervous. "I can't go on my own."

Katy smiled and edged round the pram to fit her key into the lock of the front door. "Course I will. I ain't letting you go off and enjoy yourself at the seaside while I'm stuck here!" Pulling the pram inside, she bent to unclip the fastenings and scoop her daughter out. "I'll have a word with Auntie Peggy and I'll let you know what's happening, OK?"

Promising she'd let her cousin know what was going on as soon as possible, Katy grabbed her key and balanced Ruby on her hip. She hurried through the gardens and let herself into her sister's flat, not bothering to ring the bell.

Ronnie was sitting at the kitchen table, a mug of tea clutching in one hand, flicking through the magazine open in front of her. She glanced up and frowned at the sight of the brunette gazing down at her. Then she sighed and stood up, flicking the switch on the kettle before turning to look intently at the younger Mitchell with her arms folded across her chest and a disapproving look on her face.

"What have you done?"

"What makes you think I've done something?" Katy demanded in annoyance.

"You've got your 'I've done something stupid and I need my big sister's help' face on."

Placing Ruby on the carpet beside James who was watching cartoons on the television, Katy returned to the kitchen and accepted the mug of tea Ronnie was holding out in her direction. She leant against the counters and took a sip, contemplating how to raise the subject of her promise to Lola. Katy knew she shouldn't have suggested it before speaking to her sister and Auntie Peggy, but she hadn't thought of that at the time.

"D'you reckon… what d'you think Auntie Peg would say if I went to Cornwall for a couple of days?" She asked finally.

Ronnie sighed. "Have you offered to take Lola?"

"Maybe…" Katy admitted, screwing up her face slightly.

"Why would you do that?" Her sister demanded, shaking her head wearily. "You of all people should know that dangling her baby in front of her is just cruel. What if Phil and Peggy refuse to let you go?"

"Phil might, but Auntie Peggy wouldn't refuse, would she? Phil wouldn't go against her." Katy reasoned. "Auntie Peg definitely wouldn't say no if you came too."

"Katy, I can't just take time out to go on holiday."

"Why not? Sharon's in the club and Jack can look after himself for a couple of days. Or he could come too? And Ty… Auntie Peggy could get to know my future husband."

"Everything's so simple in your world, isn't it?" The blonde sighed.

Her sister grinned, sensing that she was winning. "No, not always, but it's not always a massive deal, either. Come on, Ron! Let's go on holiday! We can drag Rox along too!"

Finally worn down, the blonde nodded. "Fine, I'll phone Auntie Peggy and see what she has to say. You do realise we'll probably have to find a B&B or something? Are you going to pay for it?"

"I'll chip in." Katy agreed mildly. "I'll have to get an advance on my wages."

"Like that's going to cover it."

The brunette rolled her eyes. "Where are you planning on staying? The Hilton? All we need is a little B&B."

Moving into the living room, she picked up Jack's laptop and turned it on, tapping her fingers impatiently as she waited for it to boot up. Ronnie shook her head slightly and started moving around the kitchen preparing a meal for her family.

"D'you want to stay for dinner?" She asked, crouching down in front of the fridge.

Katy shook her head distractedly. "I've got to get something for Ty."

"Tell him to come here for half six." Ronnie offered, pulling various vegetables out of the fridge and putting them on the counter. "I may as well cook for the pair of you as well as me and Jack."

"Thanks…" Her sister replied with a smile, quickly texting her fiancé. Then she returned her attention to the laptop, frowning at the screen in concentration. "Where are they going again?"

Ronnie shrugged. "I dunno… we'll have to check with Auntie Peggy when I ask her about going down. And I mean ask, Katy. We're not just deciding that we're going and that's it. They can decide that they don't want us there and I won't argue, alright?"

"Fine, fine…" Katy agreed, wafting her hand dismissively in the older woman's direction. "Right… OK, so you might have a point. The cheapest I can find is £440 for four nights if only you, me, Lola and the kids go."

"Told you." Her sister said with a smirk. "Look, it's fine, OK. If Auntie Peggy agrees then I'll pay for it. After the last year I think a holiday will do us good."

* * *

_**A/N: Thank you **_**Torchwood Boy**_** and **_**Gillian Kearney Fan**_** for your reviews! :D**_

_**x**_


	97. Chapter 97

"This really isn't convenient, Katy." Sharon sighed, glancing over the rotas for the next week at the club. "A little more notice and time to swap things around would have been nice."

"Yeah, sorry about that."

"I've got you down as working Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday next week… but I can get Alex to cover Monday and Thursday, Joey to cover Wednesday and you'll be back for your shift on Friday, right?"

The brunette nodded. "Yeah, although I won't be here until about six, so I can only do half the shift."

Sharon sighed again. Katy smiled, knowing that there wasn't much the woman could do about it, seeing as both Phil and Ronnie had agreed to giving her the time off. "OK… I'll ask Laura to come in and cover you on Friday, but you'll need to make up their shifts next week."

"Course." Katy agreed at once. "Cheers. I'll give Auntie Peg your love, shall I?"

Ignoring the scowl that appeared on her boss' face, the brunette left the club before she started laughing softly to herself. Knowing how much her step-mother disliked Sharon, and knowing that the blonde knew that as well, rubbing her nose it in was the best way to wind her up. Outside, she pulled her coat tighter around herself, shivering as the cold hit her. Katy pushed her hands into her pockets and nuzzled her nose into the turned up collar of her coat, heading in the direction of the Vic where Ronnie had gone to ask their sister if she wanted to come to Cornwall with them.

"Hey, Tiff!" Seeing the red-headed little girl walking pensively along Bridge Street, Katy stopped and waited for her to catch up. Eyeing the notebook and pen in Tiffany's hands curiously, she smiled. "What you up to? Skiving?"

"School's heating's broke." Tiffany informed her with a shrug.

"So what's with the book?"

The girl shrugged. "I was looking for someone to listen to watch my stage act and give me advice."

Katy smiled. "I'll do it if you want?"

"No thanks." Tiffany told her quickly. "You're too nice. I need someone who'll give me proper advice."

"I'd give you proper advice!" The brunette told her, slightly affronted. "I could be as mean as Simon Cowell if I wanted."

"You're alright. I found someone."

"Who? Who's on your list?"

"Well, I was going to ask Phil, but he's not here. Then I went to ask Michael, but he weren't keen. Then I asked Zainab and Ian, but they both said no. I thought of Uncle Derek first, but he's dead so he can't do it."

Katy smiled and chuckled softly. "No, that is a bit of a problem."

"In the end AJ agreed to do it. I'm off to practise now."

"AJ? What does he know about judging talent?"

"What do you know?" Tiffany pointed out.

"Fair point." The young woman agreed with a shrug. Then she winked. "But if he's mean, don't take any notice, right? Or, better still, come and tell me and I'll have a quiet word with him, yeah?"

Tiffany sighed loudly. "You don't understand! I need him to tell me if it's rubbish so that I'm prepared. Anyway, if he doesn't like it I know that I'm doing it right."

Shaking her head as though Katy was incredibly stupid, the little girl walked away. Katy stared after her, a little confused. Then she grinned and shook her head before making her way towards the pub. Glancing up at the name plate over the door, her smile widened. It was good to see the name Mitchell as a licensee of the Queen Vic again. There was a Mitchell back where they belonged.

Perching on one of the bar stools, Katy ordered a drink from Tracey, complimenting the bar maid on her top. They chatted for a couple of minutes, before she was called away to serve another punter. Katy sipped her drink while she waited for her sisters to appear behind the bar.

"Katherine, Katherine, Katherine!" Alfie called leaning on the bar and grinning at her. "Looking gorgeous as always."

"Alfred, Alfred, Alfred!" She replied with a smile. "The same to you, obviously."

He chuckled. "Your sisters are upstairs if you want to go up?"

"Nah, you're alright, Granddad. They'll be down in a minute no doubt. Any idea what they're talking about? Cornwall?"

"Cornwall? Nah… I think they were discussing your wedding, actually; the day you'll become a Moon." The girl groaned and rested her head on her arms on the bar at his words, causing Alfie to frown in confusion. "Eh? What's all this about? Not having second thoughts are you? My soppy cousin would be devastated."

"No." She replied at once. As Alfie raised an eyebrow at the hastiness of her response, she smiled weakly. "No… I'm not."

"Katy? What's wrong?" The barman asked gently, searching her face for answers.

"Nothing!" She insisted, laughing hesitantly. "It's just the thought of getting married and changing my name and being someone's wife… it's huge, ain't it? Ron and Rox are so excited about the planning stuff and Amy's looking forward to being a bridesmaid and there's so much to think about… oh… I don't know… I'm just being stupid."

"Course you're not, sweetheart." He told her with a reassuring grin, brushing her cheek with his thumb. "Of course you're going to panic about these things, it's only natural, ain't it?"

As the girl nodded weakly, sending him a small smile, her sisters appeared behind the bar and Alfie straightened up, turning and giving Roxy a kiss. Ronnie rolled her eyes at her younger sister, before frowning as she spotted the expression on Katy's face.

"What's wrong with you?" She asked.

"Nothing, Ron. What did Rox say? Is she coming with us?"

"No, she's not." The middle Mitchell sister informed her with a grin. "She has to work. But Amy's going to come with you. I'll try and get down for a couple of days, but I can't promise anything."

"You'd better go and inform Lola of the good news." Ronnie said with a smile. "Tell her we're leaving on Monday morning – the B&B is booked and everything."


	98. Chapter 98

Although Peggy was more than happy about the idea of the sisters and Lola going down to Saint Ives to meet up with her, Phil and Lexi for a couple of days, her son, on the other hand, was far from happy at the prospect. In the end, as always, it was his mother who had the last word on the matter and so, on Monday morning, the three women, Amy, James and Ruby were packed up in Roxy's car and ready to go. Jack and Tyler were unable to go with them because they had to work.

Neither Lola nor Katy had ever been to Cornwall before and both girls were more excited than the children at the prospect of a holiday by the beach, even though it was hardly beach weather.

They spent the majority of the journey playing eye-spy and singing along to the radio. Ronnie had enough of the girls' renditions of various chart hits about two hours into the journey and turned the radio off, much to their annoyance. She informed them that if they wanted to listen to music they could plug themselves into their iPods and stop disturbing everyone else.

By the time they arrived, Lola, Amy, James and Ruby had all fallen asleep. Katy only just resisted the urge to draw on her younger cousin's face with her eyeliner and Ronnie, catching her eye and guessing what the pensive look on her sister's face meant, laughed and shook her head. She reminded the brunette that the temper tantrum Lola would throw on discovering her handiwork wasn't worth the couple of moments of amusement.

Ronnie had booked them into a B&B down the road from the cottage that Phil and Peggy were renting. It was a large, red-bricked building called 'Sea View'. Lola muttered that they should sue them under the trades descriptions act, because the sea was nowhere to be seen, but Ronnie had just laughed and told her to cheer up. The blonde sank down in her seat and Katy smiled at her, knowing that she was nervous about seeing Phil.

The owner was a middle-aged woman who regarded the three females with their East End accents and three small children with an air of suspicion. She showed them upstairs to the two rooms Ronnie had booked; two twins, each with a complimentary cot. The older Mitchell sister was shown into room 4, while the two younger women were ushered unceremoniously into room 5. Lola looked around, screwing up her nose in disdain at the floral bedspreads and matching curtains, the old fashioned furniture and the patterned wallpaper.

"Well this is a shithole..." She muttered, flopping down onto the bed beside the window and looking around.

"Give it a rest." Katy told her good-naturedly. "It ain't like we're gonna be spending all our time in here, is it? You heard Ron, we're gonna unpack and then we're gonna go and see Lexi, alright? So chill out Lo!"

The blonde rolled her eyes and rummaged in her bag for her mobile. She sent Billy a quick text to let him know that they'd arrived, while Katy moved around and unpacked her things, laying them out carefully. She smiled at her daughter who was happily playing with some of her toys on the small patch of carpet between the bottom of the twin beds and the dressing table.

"Can we go now?" Lola demanded a couple of minutes later. She scooped Ruby up off the carpet and waited impatiently beside the door while Katy grabbed her bag and jacket. "D'you reckon Ronnie's told them we're here?"

"Ask her yourself." The brunette laughed, knocking on the door to her sister's room.

The older woman was on the phone as she opened the door, ushering them inside. Lola's ears pricked up as she heard Phil's name and she tried to work out what was being said. Katy rolled her eyes and seated herself on the bed that was evidently Amy's for the few days they were there. Her niece seemed to have brought almost all of her dolls and teddies and was in the process of arranging them on the pillow. James, however, seemed intent on throwing them all into the corner of the room. Sensing that a fight was about to break out, Katy scooped her nephew into her arms and started tickling his stomach until he giggled uncontrollably.

"Right, Phil's given me directions to the cottage they're staying in and Peggy's invited us for dinner."

"When are we going?" Lola demanded eagerly.

Ronnie laughed and cupped her cheek gently. "As soon as we're ready, sweetie. Lexi can't wait to see you."

The blonde gave an excited squeak and urged her cousins to hurry up. She moaned and nagged until they were ready to leave; the three children wrapped up against the January cold. They climbed into Roxy's car, Katy and Lola swapping places so that the brunette was crammed into the seat in the boot, heading through the winding country lanes in the direction that Phil had told them. Ronnie, used to city driving, complained under her breath the whole way. She slammed on her breaks, causing her sister to whack her head, as a tractor pulled out of a gateway in front of her and proceeded to trundle along the lane for about three miles, before turning into another field.

After another five or so minutes they found themselves turning into a gateway and coming to a stop on a gravel drive in front of a tiny, picturesque, stone cottage. Lola was out of the car in seconds, bouncing on the balls of her feet agitatedly as Ronnie walked round the back of the car to let her sister out, before they released the children from their car seats. Ruby wriggled and grizzled in her mother's arms and Katy set her down gently, holding tightly to her hands as she walked unsteadily towards the cottage door.

"Darlings!" Peggy exclaimed with a broad smile, throwing open the door seconds after Ronnie had pulled the rope that they assumed was the doorbell. "Did you have a good journey? How's the B&B? We'd have had you to stay here with us, but there's only two bedrooms."

Ronnie smiled and kissed her cheek, transferring her son into her step-mother's arms. "The journey was fine, thanks, Auntie Peg. The B&B's alright; a bit basic, but we only really need it as a base. Don't worry about it!"

"Hi, Auntie Peggy." Katy greeted her as soon as Ronnie had moved inside with Amy. "How are you? You remember Lola, right?"

"Hello, darling! Of course I do. Lovely to see you, love."

They waited for her to lead the way through the narrow passageway and into the sitting room. It, too, was quite small and it was a squeeze for the four women and three children to find seats. Lola looked around expectantly, waiting for Phil and her daughter to appear.

"Oh, they won't be long." Peggy said, realising who the girl was looking for. "Phil just popped out to get some milk and took Lexi for some air."

"It's a bit cold for a walk, init?" Lola demanded worriedly.

"She was well wrapped up, don't worry." The older woman assured her with a smile. "Now, who wants a cuppa?"

* * *

_**A/N: Hello lovelies! Thank you for reading and thank you to **_**Torchwood Boy**_** and **_**Gillian Kearney Fan**_**for your reviews on the last couple of chapters! :D**_

_**I've just created a twitter to post about updates and things, so if you're interested it's TheSerenBex :)**_

_**x**_


	99. Chapter 99

Phil arrived after ten minutes and Lola was delighted to be reunited with her daughter. Peggy fussed around them, before bustling off to make tea in the kitchen with Ronnie in tow. Phil hovered around his granddaughter, much to Lola's annoyance. After a while, it started annoying Katy as well and she snapped at him to back off.

Hearing the raised voices, Peggy and Ronnie appeared with a tray of mugs ready to diffuse the tension. The younger of the two sent her sister a warning glare and the brunette sighed deeply, rolling her eyes and returning her attention to her daughter, niece and nephew who were sitting on the carpet with her. Amy was colouring a page of her colouring book and James and Ruby were playing with the couple of toys they'd brought with them.

After a while, Peggy suggested that they all went out for dinner. Phil looked far from happy at the prospect, but with the females all agreeing, he didn't have a choice in the matter. They agreed to meet at the car park by the seafront in the town, so that they could get ready.

Lola was reluctant to leave her daughter, but Ronnie gently reminded her that she would see her again in a short while. They went back to the B&B and changed quickly. Mrs Sharp, the owner, reminded them bad-temperedly that the door was locked at ten, so they'd need to be back by then.

"So, Lola, what is it you do?" Peggy asked as they started on their dinners a while later.

The blonde glanced up sharply. "Umm… I'm working at the Salon for Tanya."

"That sounds exciting. Katy, darling, what are you doing now?"

"I'm working at the R&R, Auntie Peg." The girl replied, pausing with her fork halfway to her mouth. "It's a bit crap having to work for blondie, but–"

"Oi!" Phil glared at her, causing Katy to roll her eyes.

Ronnie shook her head, the movement barely noticeable. "Katy, don't."

Peggy's face clouded over slightly at the mention of Sharon, but she didn't say anything. Gradually the conversation returned to normal until Ronnie glanced at her watch and realised that they needed to leave if they were going to make it back to the B&B before the doors were shut for the night. Almost dragging Lola towards the car, they arranged to meet Peggy the next morning.

The rest of the week passed more quickly than any of them wanted. Lola and Peggy got on like a house on fire, both recognising the spirit in the other and gaining more respect for the other as time went on. Katy was amused to see how much it annoyed Phil, the closer the two got.

Loading up the car on Friday afternoon ready to head home to Albert Square, Katy hugged her step-mother tightly, before taking her daughter from Peggy and strapping her securely into her car seat. She leant over Ruby to check Amy's belt was clicked properly and then walked to the back of the car and climbed into the back. Katy hated the small, sideways-facing seat in the boot, but it was her turn to sit on it. Lola grinned and banged on the window as she passed, laughing as Katy stuck her tongue out and pouted.

A couple of hours into the drive home, somewhere between Swindon and Walford, Katy fell asleep. The next thing she knew, Ronnie was shaking her awake with a highly amused grin on her face. The brunette sighed and rubbed her eyes tiredly before sliding out of the car and lifting her daughter out of the seat.

"You coming to the flat?" Ronnie asked, handing Katy her bags.

The teenager shouldered them, trying to juggle them without dropping her daughter. "Nah, we'd better go and see your Daddy, hadn't we, gorgeous? It's nearly bedtime for you, isn't it, Rubes?"

"No." Ruby replied, squirming as her mother pulled a face at her. "No no no no no."

The sisters laughed as she continued to repeat her favourite word over and over again, occasionally interspersing them with 'Daddy', 'Mummy' and 'Ron'. Shaking her head slightly, Katy kissed Ronnie on the cheek and waved at the others before turning and making her way towards her home.

Dropping her bags on the doorstep, she fumbled with her keys, squinting at the lock as she tried to insert the key. Swearing under her breath, she heard a click from the other side and the door opened.

"What are you doing, babe?" Tyler asked, grinning at her scowling face.

"I couldn't see the bloody lock." She muttered, passing Ruby to him and bending down to collect up the bags.

When she looked up again, Tyler and her daughter had disappeared inside and the Mitchell was left to lug the bags in herself. She growled in annoyance, dumping them at the foot of the stairs and closing the door behind her. Poking her head around the door, she told Tyler to get Ruby ready for bed while she put the kettle on.

Heading into the kitchen, she yawned, flicking the switch on the kettle and went to get the mugs out of the cupboard. She groaned as she realised that they were all in the mountain of washing up that Tyler had left on the side, her anger rising as she realised that there were no teabags in the caddy and no milk in the fridge.

"Alright?" Tyler asked, reappearing a couple of moments later. "Ruby's all tucked up and fast asleep. Had a good time?"

"What the hell is all this?"

"What?"

"This mess, Tyler!" Katy shouted. "I've been gone five days and it looks like a bomb's hit! There's nothing in the fridge and there's no clean plates or mugs or anything! What am I supposed to give Ruby for her breakfast?"

"I'll go and get something in the morning." He said with a shrug. "And it won't take long for you to wash that lot up, will it?"

"Me?" The girl's mouth dropped open. "Me? You're expecting me to clear this place up? Seriously? Are you having a flaming laugh?"

"What?"

Her eyes flashing angrily, Katy pushed past him and stormed towards the staircase. Tyler tried to grab her arm to stop her, but she pushed him away. "I'm going to Ronnie's."

"Why?"

"Because I came home and I was so looking forward to seeing you, but you expect me to sort out your mess as soon as I get back? That's not fair, Tyler." Katy started up the stairs to fetch the toddler from her cot.

"Don't take Ruby… she's asleep. I'll look after her."

"I can't trust you with my daughter! You can't even look after yourself!"

"Your daughter?"

"Our daughter…" Katy corrected herself hastily. She hadn't meant it to come out like that. "Fine. I'll see you tomorrow."

Pushing past him, she grabbed her bag, opened the front door and headed out into the darkness. Tyler stared after her, before sighing and slamming the door shut. Katy leant on the buzzer of her sister and Jack's flat, waiting impatiently for one of them to answer.

Jack frowned as he opened the door, his expression changing to one of concern as his eyes fell on his young sister-in-law shivering on the doorstep. Wrapping an arm around her, he pulled Katy inside, bombarding her with questions.

"Jack? Who is…?" Ronnie started as he propelled Katy gently into the flat. "Katy? What's wrong?"

At the sight of her sister, the brunette burst into tears and wrapped her arms around the blonde, snuggling into her and rubbing her face against her shoulder. Ronnie sighed as Katy gave a confused explanation as to why she was there. She rocked her gently, leading her over to the sofa and rubbing her back soothingly.

"Hey… come on, sweetie." The blonde murmured, cupping her sister's face gently. "Tomorrow you and Tyler can sort things out. It won't seem like such a big deal in the morning."

"But I can't believe he just assumed that I'd–"

"No, I'll be having a word with him about that." Ronnie assured her, smirking slightly "Jack would never dream of getting away with something like that, would you?"

"Course not, baby." He agreed with a grin. "Especially not now."

"Not now?" Katy asked with a frown. She looked between them curiously. "What d'you mean, not now?"

Ronnie smiled at her, biting her lip slightly. Her excitement was clear in her eyes. "I'm pregnant; due at the beginning of August. You're going to be an Auntie again."

* * *

_**A/N: Hi lovelies! Thanks for reading and reviewing! And hello to the new followers/favouriters! :D**_

_**I was watching eps of EastEnders from 2008/9 on YouTube while writing this chapter… because I'm cool. It reminded me how much I miss Ronnie and Peggy… They need to come back soooooon! Especially Ronnie!**_

_**x**_


	100. Chapter 100

"You're pregnant?" Katy repeated, unable to believe what her sister had said. "What, really?"

"No, I was joking." Ronnie rolled her eyes. "Of course, really."

"Why didn't you tell me before? Have you told Rox?"

"Not yet, no. We were going to tell you both together." She shook her head. "Aren't you pleased?"

"What? Yeah, course I am, Ron! I'm so happy for you; for you both!" The brunette told them sincerely, kissing her sister on the cheek before moving to hug Jack. She knew how much her sister wanted to have another baby so that James had a little brother or sister.

Smiling happily, the blonde dropped a kiss into her sister's hair and propelled Katy towards her old bedroom, handed her a spare pair of pyjamas and said goodnight, ignoring the fact that it was only half past nine. The younger Mitchell climbed into bed and stared at the ceiling. She was absolutely exhausted; Katy had been fighting the feeling that she was coming down with something all week. Her eyes closed slowly, sleep overtaking her as she moved towards sleep.

Suddenly Katy's eyes flicked open.

She sat bolt upright, her eyes widening in horror as a realisation dawned on her. Leaping out of bed, she hunted through her bag desperately, pulling out her diary and flicking through the pages. Katy groaned and closed her eyes tightly.

"Shit." She muttered. "Shit, shit, shit."

Getting dressed again quickly, she left the bedroom and headed for the flat door, grateful that Jack and Ronnie had gone to bed early as well. There was a creak and the living room was filled with light from her sister and brother-in-law's bedroom.

"Katy?" Ronnie whispered, pulling her bedroom door closed behind her and padding across the room towards her sister. She wrapped her dressing gown more tightly around her, tilting her head to one side as she looked at the brunette appraisingly. "Where are you going?"

"Just… out… there's something I need to get."

"At ten o'clock at night?"

"Yeah… it… shit…"

Ronnie frowned. "Katherine?"

"It's just all gone wrong, Ronnie."

"You're going to have to give me more than that, sweetheart." The blonde told her gently. "What are you talking about? Is this about your fight with Tyler?"

"No. Ron… I think I'm pregnant."

The older woman's eyebrow's almost shot off the top of her head. She said nothing, turning tail and walking back into her bedroom. Katy watched her go, unsure what she was supposed to do now. She wasn't sure whether Ronnie was coming back or not. A moment or two later, the bedroom door opened again and her sister reappeared, holding something in her hand.

Wordlessly, Ronnie held out a box. Looking at it quickly, Katy realised that it was a pregnancy test. She took it, her hand shaking and made her way slowly into the bathroom. Part of her wanted to find out the result on her own. The larger, more dominant part wanted to have her sister with her.

Taking the test into the living room, Katy sat beside Ronnie on the sofa and set the plastic stick on the coffee table. The blonde reached out and took her hand, interlinking their fingers and giving her a reassuring squeeze. They sat in silence for three minutes. Then Ronnie leant forward and picked up the test.

"Wait." The brunette stopped her, putting her hand over her sister's and preventing her checking the display.

"You need to find out what it says."

"I know that… I just…"

"What do you want it to say?"

"Not pregnant." Katy replied instantly. At the expression on her sister's face, she sighed deeply. "Ron, I'm twenty. I've already got a seventeen-month-old daughter and I'm getting married. I really don't need any more responsibility at the moment. When I thought I was pregnant before, I was terrified. The idea of–"

"Before?" Ronnie demanded, turning to look at the young woman curiously. "When before? When you were pregnant with Ruby?"

"No… Not long after I got sent to Larkhall I thought I might be pregnant. I asked Karen to get me a test. It was a false alarm, but I was so scared that it would be positive."

The blonde nodded, smiling weakly and squeezing her hands. "That's understandable; you didn't know how long you'd be in there. If the worst had happened you would have given birth in prison. But if this test is positive, then you're going to be a brilliant Mum to that baby, just like you are to Ruby."

"Brilliant?" She snorted cynically. "I'm nowhere near brilliant. I don't know how to be a proper Mum; it's not like I have much experience to draw on, is it? But at least my Mum was there. I missed five months of my daughter's life 'cos I was banged up."

"Katy, that wasn't–"

"On top of that Tyler and I can barely afford to feed the three of us and pay the bills at the same time."

"Jack and I can he–"

"I don't want your money!" Katy told her sister quickly. "I don't want anyone's money. Ruby's my daughter and I want to provide for her. I want to give her everything my Mum never bothered to give me."

Ronnie cupped her face, forcing the teenager to look at her. "You are nothing like your mother."

"You never met her."

"I did, actually." Ronnie replied with a shrug. "Just the once… before you were born, when I was about sixteen."

"Lucky you." Katy shrugged. "But you still don't know what she was like. You can't say I'm nothing like her."

"But I can, sweetie. You put Ruby before anything else; especially before yourself and what you want. I know that your Mum wouldn't have done that for you. She never did. Katy, you went to prison to protect your daughter."

"That doesn't make me a good Mum."

The blonde smiled. "In my book that makes you a really good Mum." She sighed and released Katy's hands, reaching forward. "Come on. Let's get this over with."

She picked up the pregnancy test, looking at her sister seriously. When the brunette motioned for her to check the display, covering her face with her hands, Ronnie glanced down. Her emotions were in turmoil as she read the words on the screen, _**'pregnant – 6-7 weeks'**_. Part of her was thrilled; Ronnie loved babies and the thought of her and her younger sister being pregnant at the same time delighted her. It would strengthen the bond between them even more. On the other hand, she knew that Katy had been dreading this result.

As the blonde showed Katy the stick, the younger Mitchell burst into tears. Ronnie hugged her tightly, rocking her in her arms and stroking her hair. "It'll be alright, sweetie. I promise, it'll be alright."

"6-7 weeks? I must have got pregnant as soon as me and Ty got back together…" Katy realised with a sigh. "Ron… I can't handle another baby. I've already got Ruby and Tyler and a wedding to deal with."

"That's what family's for." Her sister said firmly. "As soon as Rox finds out she's going to have another Niece or Nephew she'll be all over you. She's already started making plans for your wedding."

Katy groaned even more loudly. "I've already told her I don't want anything fancy. I can't cope with that as well."

"You're going to have to keep a close eye on her." Ronnie laughed. Then she kissed her sister's forehead. "Right, go and get some sleep. All this will look less daunting in the morning, sweetheart."

With a deep sigh, the young woman rose and headed back to bed. She couldn't see how sleep would make her situation any less complicated. Whenever she thought she had things under control and running smoothly, something came up and threw another spanner in the works.

* * *

_**A/N: Hello darlings! Thanks for the reading/reviews/follows! Thank you **_**Torchwood Boy**_**and **_**Gillian Kearney Fan**_** for your reviews! It means a lot! :D**_

_**Two new Mitchells? Scary! Is everything going to run smoothly? I doubt it! :P**_

_**x**_


	101. Chapter 101

"How're you feeling this morning, sweetie?" Ronnie asked gently as Katy wandered into the kitchen looking as though she'd barely slept which, her sister conceded, she probably hadn't.

"Like I've stolen yours and Jack's thunder." The brunette admitted, dropping onto a chair at the table and putting her head in her hands. "You're not telling anyone, Ron. No one, OK?"

"What about Tyler… or Roxy?"

"No, Ron." Katy shook her head vehemently. "Rox can't keep her mouth shut and if I tell Ty then the decision's already been made."

"Decision?"

Katy looked up and met her sister's eyes. Ronnie bit her lip and turned away. "Ronnie… I really need to think about this. As much as I love Bianca, I don't wanna be the next her; more kids than I can afford, doing whatever crappy jobs I can get and lurching from one disaster to the next."

"It won't come to that, sweetie. We won't let it get to that."

"Who? My family? What about B's family? Jack's her Uncle… when does he ever help out?" The brunette asked, arching an eyebrow. "You've got your own stuff to deal with."

"Bianca's proud." Ronnie reminded her. "Jack's tried to offer to help, but she won't hear of it."

"What, and I will?"

Her sister sighed and leant against the cabinets, folding her arms. "Maybe you need to. I thought you'd realised you don't have to do everything on your own and be totally independent anymore?"

"It's not about that! But like I said last night, this is my life and I want to make sure I can look after my family myself."

"And like I said last night, you're not your Mum."

Shaking her head, Katy stood up. "You're missing the point, Ron. I dunno if you're doing that on purpose or not." With a deep sigh, she moved to the flat door. "I've got to go and get Ruby so Tyler can go to work. I'll see you later."

Crossing the Square, the young woman took several steadying breaths. She wasn't surprised it hadn't dawned on her that she might be pregnant until she'd heard Ronnie's news. Although she hadn't felt her usual self, Katy wouldn't have put it down to pregnancy symptoms in a million years. She had honestly thought that she was just coming down with a bug.

Pausing for a moment outside the house, she composed herself and opened the door. The television was on in the living room, but Katy headed through to the kitchen. She was stunned to see all the washing up was done and cleared away and the room was spotless. There was a fresh bottle of milk in the fridge, a new loaf of bread on the side and she smiled as her eyes fell on a box of teabags beside the kettle.

Walking quickly through to the living room, she leant over the sofa and kissed Tyler firmly. He pulled back, his eyes moving over her face for a moment, before he smiled and pulled her onto his lap, kissing her again.

"I'm sorry." She murmured, nuzzling her face into his neck. "I was tired and I wasn't feeling great. I shouldn't have shouted at you, though."

"Nah, I'm sorry this place was such a state. I didn't think."

"Well if we're both sorry then it's even, right?" Katy pointed out, smiling and kissing him again. Then she hauled herself to her feet and scooped Ruby off the floor. "You'd better get to work; you've got a wedding to pay for, remember. Say goodbye to Daddy, Rubes."

Tyler let out a theatrical sigh, before kissing them both quickly. "Tomorrow we're going out for the day, right? I dunno where, yet, but somewhere. Just the three of us."

"Sounds great, babe." His fiancée agreed. "As long as we're back by six 'cos I've got a shift at the club."

x-x

Ronnie was doing her best to keep Katy's secret but, realising that Sharon had put her on the rota to work every night for the two weeks after they returned from Cornwall, she was finding it difficult. The younger woman had warned her not to interfere when Ronnie had attempted to find someone to cover her shifts so that she could have a break, reminding her that she still hadn't made her decision about whether she was going to keep the baby or not and they needed the money.

Tyler, too, was irritated by the fact that his fiancé was working so much. On Thursday he presented her with a bunch of flowers, a card and a box of chocolates in bed. Katy grinned and opened the box of chocolates at once. Popping one of the hard caramel ones in her mouth, her face fell and she chewed it reluctantly.

"You alright, babe?" Tyler asked, frowning.

"Yeah, course. Thanks, Ty, these are beautiful." She replied quickly, glancing at the flowers and leaning up to kiss him.

"Seeing as you're working tonight I'll come home at lunch and we can celebrate then, yeah?" He suggested, kissing her again.

Katy nodded and smiled, waiting for him to head downstairs. As soon as she heard the front door close she leapt out of bed and sprinted to the bathroom, leaning over the toilet and throwing up. Closing her eyes, she sat against the bath and drew her knees up to her chest. It was typical that morning sickness would kick in today. Even the thought of the box of chocolates was making her want to throw up again.

Washing her face and rinsing her mouth, Katy went to get dressed. She glanced at the time and realised that she was supposed to be meeting her sisters to take the kids to playgroup at the community centre in ten minutes. Gathering up her daughter's things and loading her into her pram quickly, the young woman left the house in a rush.

"Morning! Ronnie's gonna meet us there." Roxy exclaimed cheerfully, kissing her sister on the cheek and bending to tickle her niece's stomach. "Happy Valentine's Day."

"Same to you!" The brunette laughed. "Go on then, what did Granddad get you?"

"Flowers, chocolates, this necklace, breakfast in bed, this really naff teddy, champagne…"

Shaking her head as the blonde listed things off, Katy began walking slowly towards the community centre. She quickly told Roxy what Tyler had given her and asked whether she would mind watching Ruby at lunch time.

"You're going to cook for him?" Roxy asked incredulously, laughing as the pair entered the building and lifted Tommy and Ruby out of their prams. "Is that safe?"

Katy rolled her eyes. "Ha ha… you're a bloody comedian, ain't ya?"

"Seriously, babe, what are you planning on cooking?"

"Bacon sarnies?" The brunette shrugged. "Tyler loves them."

Roxy burst out laughing again and shook her head. "Oi, Ron, guess what Katy's cooking Tyler as a Valentine's Day treat? Bacon sarnies."

"Really?"

"What?!" Their younger sister demanded defensively. "They're his favourites!"

"Is he gonna come to the R&R later, seeing as you're working?" Ronnie asked, smiling at her sister's inability to cook, but not wanting to wind her up further.

Katy shook her head. "Nah, he's looking after the baby. That's why he's taking a long lunch and Roxanne is looking after Ruby. Is Jack?"

"No idea. Probably not, he's got James and Amy."

"You're kidding? Am I the only one with Valentine's Night off?" Roxy asked, looking between her sisters with an arched eyebrow.

"Yeah, don't rub it in, Rox." Ronnie warned her with a smirk. "Not all of us are sleeping with the boss."

"Yeah, but you are the boss." Roxy reminded her.

Katy pulled a face. "My bosses are my sister, my step-brother and blondie… fantastic."

* * *

_**A/N: Two updates in one day?! What is the world coming to?!**_

_**x**_


	102. Chapter 102

"You drew the short straw too, eh?" Katy asked as Joey walked into the club that evening.

He grinned and nodded. "Yeah… Lauren's not exactly thrilled."

"I'm not surprised." She laughed, reaching up to change the bottles in the optics behind her. "Ty wasn't either."

"Let me…" Joey said, moving her out of his way and taking over the task. "It's not really the job for titches like you."

"Cheers!"

Shaking her head and rolling her eyes at him, Katy opened the till and checked the amount of change instead, secretly grateful that he'd taken over that particular job. She hated changing the optics for exactly the reason he'd suggested. Reaching up and standing on her tiptoes wasn't exactly the most comfortable and Sharon had stopped her kneeling on a stool to do it, claiming it contravened the health and safety regulations. Katy knew that she was perfectly correct, but it still made her task a lot easier.

They busied themselves for the next hour or so until the first wave of punters arrived. Sharon had warned them that the members of the Stag party were incredibly rowdy and when they crashed into the room the bar staff realised that she hadn't been exaggerating. Emerging from the office, Ronnie raised an eyebrow at her sister who was serving several of the friends of the groom-to-be.

"Look who it is?" She muttered in Katy's ear, prodding her in the side and nodding her head towards the doors. The brunette glanced up quickly and saw their sister and Alfie heading towards them. "Nice of her to drop in, isn't it?"

Katy laughed. "I'm just glad she's settled for once." Ronnie nodded in agreement, but couldn't say anything before they leant on the bar and grinned at the sisters.

"Hello you two, enjoying yourselves?"

"Oh, yeah!" Katy agreed with a smirk. "I love being chatted up by drunken men on Valentine's Night while my fiancé's at home with our daughter. It's what I come to work for."

"What you having?" Ronnie asked. "Drinks on the house, alright?"

"Aww, cheers Ron." The middle sister beamed, leaning forward to kiss both her sister's on the cheek while Alfie winked at them. "Oh, by the way…"

"Shh!" Her boyfriend ordered, flapping his hand at her. "Surprise, remember?"

Instantly the other women's curiosity was raised and they glared at their sister, knowing she couldn't keep secrets. In order to prevent her spilling the secret, whatever it was, Alfie dragged Roxy away from the bar. Ronnie and Katy glanced at each other and shrugged, returning their attentions to serving the punters.

"Yes, love, what can I get you?" Katy asked the third man in a row, stifling a yawn before looking up quickly. "Baby!"

Tyler grinned at her. "Jean's got Ruby, so I'm here to spend the night with you. You can work and I can hang out here."

She leant over the bar, grabbing a fistful of his t-shirt and dragging him towards her. "You are so sweet."

"Oi, you're supposed to be working!" Ronnie reminded her after a moment or two, prodding her sister in the head. "And you're a barmaid, not a hooker, so serve some drinks."

"Cheers, Ron." Katy muttered, rolling her eyes but unable to stop herself smirking. "What can I get you, boys? And don't get any ideas."

The men she addressed laughed and ordered a round of beers. As she moved away to get the drinks, Katy saw them shaking hands with Tyler and rolled her eyes again. Once they'd been served, she motioned for her fiancé to follow her to the office. Out in the corridor she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. Giggling, Katy walked backwards, opening the office door and almost falling into the room.

Tyler reached out to flick the light switch. They leapt apart guiltily as the abrupt change in light in the room was followed by an indignant squeak and a gasp. Looking round, Katy snorted with laughter as she realised that they had interrupted Ronnie and Jack kissing on the sofa; exactly what she had been planning.

"Sorry!" She apologised with a grin. "I didn't realise you were in here. Hey, Jack."

"Alright?" He asked gruffly as Ronnie did up the top couple of buttons on her shirt.

"Give us a shout when you're done in here, eh?" The brunette asked, unable to stop herself giggling slightly.

Ronnie rolled her eyes. "Come on… we can't leave Sharon and Joey on their own behind the bar."

"Well they ain't joining in!" Tyler joked, earning himself a swat on the arm from the blonde, a peal of laughter from his fiancée and a clap on the back from Jack.

"You know what I mean! It's almost time for your break, Katy."

The sisters took their places behind the bar once more, Tyler and Jack leant against the other side, chatting to them in the fleeting gaps when their attention wasn't demanded by the punters.

"_Staff outing tonight, is it, Rox?_" Sharon asked, glancing towards the door in one such gap when the three sisters were gathered at one end of the bar. They all looked in the direction she indicated and saw Kirsty entering the room.

"_Don't talk to me about her._"

"What the hell is she doing here, Jack?" Ronnie hissed, frowning at her husband. "How has she got the nerve to show her face?"

"_It's no big deal, is it?_" Jack replied with a shrug. "_Look… it's our Valentine's, alright? Let's just enjoy it. Let it go, alright?_"

Ronnie frowned at him, but moved away to serve a couple of the Stags at the other end of the bar. Katy scowled at Kirsty, who either wasn't bothered or hadn't even noticed. Then her attention was claimed by a couple more of the Stags and she forgot all about the woman's presence in the club.

A trip round the room collecting empty glasses caused her to bump into Bianca. She grinned and motioned for the woman to follow her to the bar, where she handed her a free drink, knowing how much she was struggling with cash at the moment. The red-head was reluctant at first, but Katy told her it would just go to waste if she didn't drink it and Bianca gave in. The brunette turned for a moment to ask Joey something and, when she turned back to continue her conversation with Whitney's Mum, Bianca had vanished, leaving her untouched drink on the bar.

Shaking her head and moving the drink behind the bar in case she came back, Katy moved along to talk to her sister. Bianca reappeared a moment or two later with Jack and Sharon, smiling gratefully as Katy handed her the drink back.

"…_she's all on her own over there._" Jack was saying when Katy approached him and Ronnie five or so minutes later. It took the brunette a second to realise who her brother-in-law was talking about.

"Yeah, right." Ronnie scoffed.

"_Just go over there; make an effort._"

His wife shrugged. "What for?"

"_Well, because I'm asking you._" He replied, glancing over his shoulder to where Kirsty was chatting to one of the men from the Stag party. When Ronnie folded her arms and shook her head, he slammed his beer onto the bar and stalked away. "_Alright then._"

Muttering something under her breath, Ronnie pushed past her sister and stamped to the other end of the bar, closer to where Jack was now in a conversation with Kirsty. Sighing, Katy returned her attention to what she was supposed to be doing. Dealing with drunk men was far simpler than dealing with family politics most of the time.

"You seen Alfie?" Roxy asked, squeezing Katy's arm to attract her attention.

"Eh? No, why?"

"No reason…"

Staring after her sister as the blonde wandered away, Katy shook her head and smiled at Tyler. She glanced at her phone and decided that it was time for her break, before motioning him to follow her into the office.


	103. Chapter 103

Ruby woke Katy at the crack of dawn the next morning. Yawning, the brunette swung her legs out of bed and walked sleepily across the hallway to her daughter's bedroom. Ruby cried even louder at the sight of her mother in the doorway and Katy shushed her as she scooped her into her arms. Closing the door so that she wouldn't wake Tyler, the young woman carried Ruby across to the window, bouncing her on her hip and trying to settle her. Pulling the curtain aside, she surveyed the Square. It was a rare occasion when she saw it at this time of the morning. Katy could only remember seeing the milk float making its rounds once or twice before. She watched as it circled the gardens before heading away under the bridge.

Just as she was about to drop the curtain back into place, she spotted two figures on the pavement and frowned. Alfie and Kat were standing close to each other, looking as though they were about to kiss. Katy narrowed her eyes. Her anger rose as Kat leant in and kissed Alfie on the cheek. Dropping the curtain, she marched downstairs, still cradling Ruby in her arms. Yanking open the front door, she fully intended to give Alfie a piece of her mind; to warn him that if he broke her sister's heart she'd break his legs. But he had already gone and there was no sign of him.

As Ruby sniffed and whimpered in her arms, the young woman realised that standing on the doorstep was hardly helping her daughter's cold and retreated inside quickly. She kissed Ruby's nose and took her back upstairs, wrapping her in her dressing gown before taking her back downstairs and settling her in the highchair as she got her breakfast sorted.

"You're up early, babe." Tyler said, yawning and rubbing a hand through his hair.

"Mmm… Rubes woke up stupidly early and I knew you were going to that fair thing in… wherever… so I didn't want her to wake you."

"You probably need the sleep more than I do." He pointed out, lifting Ruby out of the highchair and throwing her up into the air, making her giggle.

"Don't, Ty! She's just eaten." Katy warned him quickly, not sure her stomach could cope with Ruby being sick. She was already struggling with the familiar swirling nauseousness of morning sickness. "Besides, I'm working tonight, tomorrow, Sunday and Monday and then Ronnie's changed the rota so I get Tuesday and Wednesday nights off. That means I won't have to rush home from visiting Tina."

"Tina?"

"Yeah… you know she sent me a visiting order for last week but I wasn't here."

He sighed, balancing Ruby on his hip as Katy passed him a plate of toast. "Why do you go back there?"

"Because they're my mates, Ty." She told him distractedly, swearing as the steam from the kettle caught her hand as she opened the cupboard above it to get a mug. "They took care of me while I was in there. I know what being in prison's like. Visiting is the only thing you've got to look forward to until you get a release date and they ain't got no one else. Well, the Julies have their kids, but they rarely ever go and see them."

"I just don't want you to get upset, that's all."

"I won't, babe. Thanks for the concern, but I'll be fine. I'll feel worse if I don't go."

"As long as you're sure?" He shrugged and handed Ruby to her, taking a swig of his tea and kissing her on the cheek. "I'll see you later."

"Yeah, OK." Katy agreed with a smile. As he made his way towards the front door, she winced. "Oh, I've invited the girls to the wedding. Have a good day!"

Tyler turned and stared at her. He walked back into the kitchen and frowned. "Girls? Not your mates from prison?"

"Yeah…"

"But… why?"

"Like I said, I owe them. They're my mates, Ty. Once you get to know them, you'll love them!"

"I doubt it."

Katy sighed deeply. "You will."

"I'd better get to work. We'll talk about this later." He warned, turning and leaving again.

Once the front door closed behind him, the woman smiled down at her daughter. "No we won't, because Daddy has no say in this does he, angel?"

"No no no no no." Ruby agreed, wriggling in Katy's arms.

Laughing, the brunette took her daughter upstairs to get her ready for her trip with Jean and Mo. The women had agreed to take Ruby, Tommy and Amy out for the day so that Katy could help out at the Vic.

Once Ruby was dressed and ready to go, Katy loaded her into her pram and shoved the bag containing spare clothes and various other bits and pieces underneath the seat. Making her way slowly across the Square, she smiled at Jack as he headed in the direction of the boxing gym, waving cheerfully at her as he went.

"Morning!" Jean singsonged, opening the doors to let her in. Katy backed into the pub, pulling the pram after her. "Amy is so excited."

"Where are you going? Somewhere educational I hope?"

Jean looked confused and shook her head. "No? We haven't decided yet, but if you want us to take them somewhere educational–"

"I was joking, Jean." The young brunette grinned, squeezing the older woman's forearm gently. "Wherever you fancy going is fine by me!" She laughed at the relief on Jean's face. "Is Rox upstairs?"

"Yeah, she's just getting Tommy ready."

Leaving her daughter with the woman, Katy jogged up the stairs, regretting her haste as a wave of nausea rushed over her. Leaning against the bannister and gulping, she squeezed her eyes closed.

"Junior? You alright?" Alfie asked, his tone concerned, as he emerged from the kitchen and spotted her bending over.

She straightened at once, glaring at him as she remembered seeing him with Kat earlier. "Fine."

"Katy?"

"Rox in there?" Katy asked, nodding towards the living room. Alfie sighed and nodded, so the young woman pushed past him and went into the room. "Rox?"

"Oh, hey, babe. Can you catch Amy? She's pretending to be a fairy or something." The blonde called, barely glancing up.

Katy smiled and chased her niece around the room, tripping over as Amy dodged and doubled back. Instinctively the brunette clutched her stomach as she fell, groaning loudly. As the tiny blonde ventured closer to see if her Aunt was alright, Katy grabbed hold of her, pulling her into her arms and tickling her. Standing up, she lifted Amy into the air and cuddled her tightly.

Roxy grinned as she balanced Tommy on her hip and led the way out of the room and down the stairs. Katy put Amy down and held her hand as they followed, waiting for her sister to secure the little boy into his pram, before they went into the pub to hand the children over to the two women.

After waving them off, Roxy turned to her sister, tilting her head to one side and narrowing her eyes. "What was that about?"

"What?"

"The stomach grabbing thing; like you were protecting your stomach when you fell over. It was like… oh my god!" Realisation dawned in her eyes. "You're pregnant, aren't you?"

"Roxy, you cannot say anything to anyone, OK? No one. Only you and Ronnie know." Katy almost begged her sister in a low voice. "You especially can't tell Alfie."

"Why?"

Exhaling sharply, the brunette moved to one of the booths and sat down heavily. "You can't tell Alfie because I haven't told Tyler yet."

"What? Why?" Her sister demanded. Then she looked suspicious. "You haven't cheated on him, have you?"

"What? No!" Katy snapped, shaking her head. "Of course I ain't. I just… I'm not sure if I'm keeping it yet."

"Eh?" The blonde looked confused by her sister's words. "We are talking about a baby, right? We're not talking about a new top or a pair of shoes?"

"Shh! Yeah… Roxy it's not that simple."

"How is it not simple?"

"Because I don't want another baby!" The younger woman shouted. Then she stopped and took a shaky breath, putting her head in her hands. "I can't do it again, Roxy. One's enough for now. I'm twenty… I don't want to end up like Bianca struggling with more kids than I can afford."

Roxy sighed and sank onto the bench beside her, taking hold of her hands. Raising one, she kissed it. "You won't end up like Bianca Butcher." The blonde promised as silent sobs racked her sister's body. "You're clever and you're brilliant and you're a Mitchell."

Through her tears, Katy laughed softly. "What are you on about?"

"You're a Mitchell. Mitchells don't back down from anything, do they? So you, young lady, are going to… man up."

"Man up?" The brunette snorted with laughter, allowing Roxy to wipe her eyes.

"Yes. You're going to man up and realise that this is a good thing. Think about Ronnie; think about how much she wanted a baby before James. Imagine how you'll feel if you get rid of yours and she has her baby… you won't be able to hold it or even look at it."

Katy pouted. "I don't like it when you get all sensible and grown up. That's Ron's job."

"She obviously didn't do a very good job this time."

"It ain't her fault I weren't listening."

"No." Roxy agreed with a shrug. "But you better listen to me, or you'll regret it, babe."


	104. Chapter 104

"I was thinking…" Katy muttered, stirring her coffee thoughtfully a couple of days later.

"Ooh, careful!" Roxy joked, earning herself a smirk and a weak swat across the shoulder.

"You know when Dad died?"

Ronnie and Roxy both looked at her with a mixture of confusion, disgust and hurt. The older of the two frowned. "What about it?"

"Well, not his death, exactly… more… the will."

"Is this your way of complaining about not getting anything?" Roxy asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No! Not really. I'm just… he didn't mention me or Mam at all?"

Ronnie shook her head. "No, sweetie… but… where's this coming from?"

"I was just… I was watching this thing on TV about a family who found out about their father's secret daughter when his will was read out. You'd have thought Dad would… I don't know… remembered that I existed, at least… I doubted he knew where we lived so we wouldn't have been invited to the reading of the will, but I thought maybe… But why would he? He never acknowledged me when he was alive."

"He was evil, Katy." The oldest of the sisters said firmly. "That man was pure evil."

"He wasn't all bad. He left Amy and James a hundred grand each." Roxy told her, taking a bite out of her sandwich. "Although James hadn't been born, obviously; Dad left the money to Ron's first surviving child."

"You didn't do so badly either, did you?" Ronnie reminded her bluntly, arching an eyebrow. "Three million and the Vic? Not to mention everything else!"

"Yeah, well…"

"I'm not saying that I wish Amy and James didn't get the money, but Ruby's his granddaughter too." Katy sighed, resting her chin on her hand. "Maybe if I'd got here a few months earlier, like I was planning to…"

"You were planning on looking for us before your Mum died?" Ronnie asked, frowning at her sister. "Why didn't you?"

Katy shrugged. "Mum was too ill. I found out where you were just after my sixteenth birthday. I don't know how Mum knew, but she told me that you were in Walford. I was planning on coming then."

"That would have been… what? The end of 2008?"

"Yeah."

"If only you'd come then… we'd have had an extra year and a half… you'd have known Danielle. Maybe things would have turned out differently…" Ronnie murmured, wrapping an arm around her sister tightly. Then she sighed. "On the other hand, you'd have met Dad and he'd have probably brainwashed you and turned you against us. Divide and conquer… that was his motto."

"I wouldn't have let him, Ron." Katy assured her firmly.

The blonde smiled. "You wouldn't have even known it was happening."

Roxy scowled. "Can we talk about something else, please? I don't want to think about Dad."

"Sorry, Rox." Katy sighed.

"Nah, it's alright… I'd better get back to the Vic, though. I wanna see if Alfie's told Kat about the divorce yet."

Katy had mentioned seeing Alfie and Kat early on Friday morning to her sister, worried about how the fiery blonde would react to the news. To her immense surprise Roxy had just smiled tightly and explained that Alfie had been helping Kat out but that things were going to change. Katy and Ronnie had exchanged a look as their sister informed them that Alfie was going to ask Kat for a divorce so that they could make a proper go of it. As much as they loved the cheeky landlord, they were both worried for their sister in case things didn't work out the way she was expecting.

Once Roxy had said goodbye and left the flat, her older sister sighed deeply. "If he hurts her…"

"You'll kill him?" Katy asked with a smirk. "I'll help you bury the body."

"He wouldn't do it on purpose, would he?" Ronnie mused quietly, rolling her mug in her hands as she considered the prospect.

"Course he wouldn't. But he's a bloke and him and Kat… I dunno." Draining the last of her coffee, Katy glanced at the time and stood up. "I better go too. I said I'd meet Whit in the Vic to celebrate her first day of doing that kids club thing."

Ronnie stood up, carrying the mugs over to the sink. "Alright, sweetie. Why don't you, Tyler and Ruby come over for dinner tonight?"

Nodding in agreement, Katy kissed her sister on the cheek and turned to leave. As she moved away, Ronnie caught her by the wrist and pulled her into a tight hug, wrapping her arms around her sister and making her feel safe. Katy clung on, burying her face in the blonde's neck and squeezing her eyes closed.

They stayed like that for a couple of minutes, each drawing comfort from the other. Katy knew that bringing up Archie had unsettled her sister and she wasn't entirely sure why she had done it. Never having met him, and only having heard his voice once on the phone, she had a lot of unanswered questions about her father. Those questions were highly unlikely to ever be answered, though. All she ever got was that he was evil and she was better off without him. That might have been the truth, but she still wished she had known him; especially now.

"I think you should tell Tyler about the baby." Ronnie murmured. "The sooner he knows the better. I mean, you've decided to keep it, haven't you?"

Katy nodded slowly. "I guess so."

"You know… although me and Rox think you should keep it, we'd stick by you if you decided not to."

"I know." The brunette nodded, smiling weakly. "But Rox was right… if I get rid of the baby I'll never be able to look at yours the way I look at the others."

Smiling reassuringly, Ronnie stroked her cheek and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead. Then she turned away and started pottering around the kitchen. "So I'll see you at about half six?"

"Can we make it six? I've got work at seven." Her sister asked and Ronnie nodded in agreement.

Making her way across the Square, Katy thought hard about what her sisters had said about their father. She knew Ronnie hated his guts – with good reason – and that Roxy would always forgive him anything. Most people in Walford that had known Archie Mitchell prescribed to Ronnie's view of her father, so it was almost impossible to know what he was really like. Now she knew that he had left money to Amy and James in his will, without even a mention of her or her children, the lack of connection seemed to matter more.

It wasn't the money, so much, although Katy had to admit that it didn't seem fair. James and Amy weren't better than Ruby just because Glenda was their grandmother. She knew that Ronnie and Roxy didn't see her as a half-sister or Ruby as a half-niece. They didn't treat her any different to the other two. With a bitter sigh, Katy realised that it was probably Archie's last act of rejection before he died.

Pushing open the Vic doors, she realised that she had tears in her eyes and rubbed them away angrily. Whitney was already at the bar with Tyler and a boy she vaguely recognised, but couldn't place.

"Hey…" She murmured, sliding an arm around her fiancé's waist and leaning up to kiss him. "How'd it go, Whit?"

"I was just telling Tyler and Dexter that I have the boss from hell!" Her friend said with a sigh.

"Dexter… you're Lauren's cousin, right?" Katy asked, smiling at him.

"Yeah. And you're Katy?" He nodded, grinning at her. "Let me get you a drink."

"Cheers… I'll have an orange juice, please."

"What? No vodka?" Whitney teased, taking a sip of her own drink.

Katy shook her head. "Nah… I'm not feeling it right now."

Dexter shrugged and ordered the drink, handing Tracey the money before sliding the glass towards Katy. She took it with a grateful smile, sipping on it slowly. They chatted amicably for a while, although the brunette realised that Tyler was sending her curious looks. She realised that her sister was right; she would have to tell him soon. Now that she'd made up her mind to keep the baby, Tyler had a right to know just in case he decided that he didn't want it, however unlikely that seemed. Katy would have to swear him to secrecy, though. She didn't want the news going public until she was at least three months pregnant, just in case something happened.

"What's wrong?" Tyler whispered as Whitney excused herself to go to the toilet.

"Nothing, babe."

"Really?"

"I just… I was thinking about my Dad, that's all."

Tyler frowned. "Archie? Why?"

"I dunno…" She sighed. "I found out that he left Amy and James a hundred grand in his will, but there was no mention of me or Mum or any kids I might have. It was like he was making it clear he didn't want anything to do with me; like I didn't exist."

"You know what he was like, babe. Everyone says he was a nasty piece of work."

"Yeah, but I don't know what he was like, do I? I never met him."

Glancing at Dexter, who was thoughtfully pretending to be fascinated by a beer mat, Tyler sighed. "Is this about Ruby's dad?"

"What? No! God no." Katy told him firmly. "You're Ruby's dad. I just… Oh, I don't know. I'm being stupid." She sighed. "I just… it's not fair. I love my sisters, but they've always had everything; I'm not saying they had it easy, 'cos god know's Ronnie's had it tough. But at least they knew they wouldn't struggle for money."

"Listen, babe, I'm gonna look after you and Ruby. We might not be rolling in it, but we won't struggle. I promise you." Tyler assured her, hugging her tightly. Katy rested her head against his chest. "We'll be fine."


	105. Chapter 105

"Tyler? Can you come home for a bit?" Katy asked once Dexter and his Mum had left and Whitney had gone to join Fatboy.

"Why? We're not going to Ronnie's until six, are we?"

"No…" She agreed, sliding off the barstool and folding her arms. "But there's something I really have to tell you."

He looked wary. "What?"

"Let's just go home, alright?"

Frowning, he nodded and pulled on his jacket. Katy took hold of his hand, linking their fingers as they headed across the Square towards the house. Tyler questioned her as they walked, but she refused to tell him what she wanted to talk about until they were inside and the door was firmly closed.

Sitting on the sofa, Katy swivelled until she was partly facing her fiancé. She looked down at her hands and took a breath. Then she glanced up. "I'm pregnant."

"What?" Tyler breathed. A smile spread slowly over his face as he realised what she'd said. "Really?"

His grin was infectious and the young woman found that she, too, was smiling. "Yeah, really. But we have to keep it to ourselves for now."

"Why? Is something wrong?"

"No, Tyler." Katy assured him quickly, stroking his cheek. "But I'm only seven weeks; anything could go wrong; I haven't even been to the doctor's yet. I don't want anyone knowing for at least another month. Only you and my sisters know. Although Ron's probably told Jack too."

"I should have known you'd have told your sisters before you told me." He said, slightly bitterly.

Katy frowned. "Tyler… Ronnie was there when I realised and did the test and Roxy guessed. It's not a big deal."

"Nah, course it ain't." He snapped sarcastically. "I know no one's more important to you than your sisters."

"That's not true. I thought you'd be happy?"

Sighing, he shook his head slightly and then grinned at her. "I am… sorry. This is fantastic, babe! I'm made up!"

"I'm sorry they found out before you."

"It's alright… who cares! We're having a baby!"

Leaping to his feet he pulled Katy to hers and wrapped his arms round her, whirling her round in a circle. She laughed and put her hands behind his head, pulling him down so that she could kiss him.

"Jean's got Ruby and we've got half an hour before we need to be at Ronnie's…" Tyler pointed out, glancing towards the stairs.

Getting the hint, Katy smirked and pulled him out of the living room.

x-x

Katy was on edge after telling her fiancé about the baby. It was a good job Ronnie and Jack already knew that she was pregnant because Tyler blurted it out as soon as they walked through the door. Kissing Ronnie on the cheek, Katy set Ruby down in the living room with James and followed her sister into the kitchen, shaking her head slightly.

"He's happy, then?" Ronnie asked with a grin.

"Ecstatic." The brunette agreed.

"You don't look quite so happy."

Katy shrugged and sighed. "I still ain't sure about it."

"Still?"

"Yes, still, Veronica." Her sister snapped. "But the decision's been made."

"Yes, but you aren't happy about it."

"I will be. It might take time, but I'll get there."

Ronnie didn't push the matter. She just smiled, squeezed the young woman's arm and bustled about the kitchen serving up their dinner. They were enjoying their meal when Katy suddenly realised she was late for work. Excusing herself, she gave Tyler a quick kiss and said goodnight, heading out and making her way to the R&R.

Sharon lectured her for about ten minutes because she was late, before Katy reminded her that the longer she spent shouting at her, the longer Katy wouldn't be working. The brunette smirked as her boss rolled her eyes and retreated to the office. Joey winked at her, throwing her a cloth and indicating for her to wipe the tables in the seated area.

x-x

The next day Katy took Ruby to visit Tina in Larkhall. On her way back, she ducked into the Vic to tell Roxy that she would babysit Amy and Tommy that night, to repay them for all the times they'd looked after her daughter. What she saw, however, was Kat mouthing off at Jean behind the bar.

"_Oh, look, chief cheerleader's joining in._"

"_Oi!_" Roxy chipped in, sounding much calmer than her sister would have expected. "_Excuse me, don't take it out on Jean. Thank you._"

"_Would you rather I took it out on you instead?_" Kat asked angrily. Roxy shook her head in exasperation and turned away. She spotted Katy in the doorway and smiled. "_Your idea, was it?_" Frowning at her sister, who shrugged, Roxy turned back round to face Kat questioningly. "_The divorce?_"

"No. Umm… No, actually that was all Alfie's idea." Roxy told her with a laugh. "_He thought of that all by himself… I can't imagine why._"

Manoeuvring Ruby's pram awkwardly, the brunette Mitchell made her way towards the bar as Kat narrowed her eyes. "_I bet you couldn't believe your luck when I screwed up, could ya? You finally got what you'd been sniffing round for all that time. Make you feel good, does it, picking over the pieces of a broken marriage?_"

"_That's enough now, Kat._" Alfie warned her in a low voice.

"_And now you've got your name over the door, what d'you wanna be the next Mrs Moon now, yeah?_" The woman's gaze fell on Katy and she snorted with amusement. "Oh, no, I forgot… Katy's the next Mrs Moon, ain't she? Got her claws into Tyler; found herself a Daddy for her kid."

"Why are you having a go at me? What did I do?" Katy demanded, holding up her hands.

Kat laughed. "You're not usually so quick to back away from an argument. You're usually right there defending your sisters. You're like the three witches, ain't ya?"

"It don't look like Rox needs any help from where I'm standing."

Roxy nodded at her, before advancing on the older woman angrily. "_Listen. You listen. This wasn't my doing, OK? I'm not the one who cheated on Alfie and I'm getting a little bit sick of everyone treading on eggshells around you like you're the victim. 'Cos you're not, OK? Alfie is the victim, not you! You did this by yourself, Kat. You're the one who behaved like a complete slapper._"

There was a split second and then Kat raised her hand and smacked the blonde across the face. At once Alfie and Katy both leapt forward. As her boyfriend tried to restrain Kat from the other side of the bar, Roxy stopped him. She also grabbed hold of her sister and pushed her back behind her out of the way.

"_Stop!_" Roxy ordered, rubbing her cheek. "_Wait. It's fine. It's fine… I'll let her have that one… considering all you've been through._"

"_What about this one?_" Kat asked, slapping Roxy again.

This time Roxy struggled to hold her sister back, hissing warnings in her ear. "You're pregnant… stop it! I can handle her."

Katy glared at her for a moment before nodding and turning to scowl at Kat instead. Roxy squeezed her hand tightly, before turning and looking at Kat. The blonde tidied her hair calmly, before shaking her head.

"_Nah, that one you're going to pay for._"

The brunette Mitchell just watched as her sister launched herself at the older woman, tackling her to the floor. Alfie and Michael rushed to separate them, while Katy leant against the bar, watching them appraisingly.

"_Right, get her out of here!_" Alfie shouted once they had been separated. "_Kat, you're a disgrace, you know that? You're not fit to be a wife or a mother, now get out!_"

Once Roxy had assured everyone that she was fine, Katy wandered towards her, pulling the pram in her wake. "You fight like a girl, d'you know that?"

"I am a girl, Katy, if you hadn't noticed." Her sister reminded her. "_But if she steps foot in here again I'm gonna have her._"

"Good… I'll give you a hand."

"No, you won't." The blonde snapped firmly. "You're keeping out of trouble for the foreseeable."

"Yeah, you don't wanna end up back in prison, do you?" Jean cautioned nervously.

Katy had to concede that she had a point and sighed. She was well aware that Roxy had been talking about the fact that she was pregnant, but she chose to ignore that for the moment. "Anyway, I came to see if you wanted me to take Amy and Tommy for the evening. I'm not working and you're always looking after Ruby for me. I thought Jean might like a night off."

"Oh, you don't need to do that!" The woman told her, swatting lightly at her shoulder. "I love looking after Ruby."

"Yeah, I know, but I'd like to… to say thanks."

"If you're sure?" Roxy asked. "You might as well hang out here; save you carting them backwards and forwards. Then when they're asleep you can pop down for a drink… or just a chat, maybe." She added meaningfully, causing her sister to roll her eyes in annoyance.


	106. Chapter 106

The next morning, Katy banged on the Brannings' front door and waited for someone to answer. After a couple of moments the door opened and Abi appeared, looking slightly confused. She smiled as she saw the brunette Mitchell standing there and helped her bring Ruby's pram inside.

"I just wanted to give you this." Katy told her, holding out an envelope. "It's a birthday card for your Mum… I wasn't sure where to send it, so I thought I'd give it to you."

"Thanks." The younger girl said with a smile. "She'll be really pleased."

"Any news?"

Abi shook her head. "I tried ringing this morning, but she didn't answer."

"Is Lauren around?" Katy asked, changing the subject as she realised that the girl was slightly upset about her mother not being around, especially today.

"Nah, she's at Joey's."

Katy raised an eyebrow and grinned. "Right… so I won't be seeing her today, then?"

"Probably not." Abi agreed with a grin. "D'you fancy walking as far as Victoria Road with me? I'm running late for Sixth Form and I've got to drop a letter off at the B&B for my Dad."

"Yeah, why not; I've got nowhere important to be!"

After Abi put on her coat and scarf and grabbed her bag, they headed round the Square so that the girl could complete her task. Katy waited while she went to the door and posted the bill. She took a couple of breaths, feeling the now familiar feelings of nausea washing over her and glanced round as Abi's gaze seemed fixed on someone behind her. Katy couldn't help frowning as Kirsty tottered towards them.

"_Oh, I know, damn delivery lorry._" Kirsty explained as both girls glanced at the mud splatters on her jeans. "_And after I'd just dropped my dirty washing at the launderette._"

"_Umm… I was just about to post this for Dad._" Abi explained, holding out the bill.

"_Oh, I'll make sure he gets it._"

"_Well, see ya._"

As Abi glanced at the older girl and they made to head away, Kirsty touched the teenager's arm. "_Well, actually, I was rather hoping we could have a word? I've been meaning to for some time._"

"_I was on my way to Sixth Form._"

"_We can't spend our whole lives avoiding each other, Abi._" Kirsty reasoned. Katy raised an eyebrow at the younger girl, wondering what she was supposed to do. "_Just a quick chat? Please? I don't bite._"

Abi smiled weakly and nodded, glancing at Katy. She shrugged and pushed the pram away; calling over her shoulder that she'd see Abi later. The young woman didn't really know what to do with herself. She had the day off, but everyone else was either working or busy. Katy supposed there were things that needed doing in the house and she still had loads to do for the wedding, but she really wasn't in the mood.

After wandering around for a while, Katy went into the café and ordered a coffee, smiling at Carol as she handed over her money and headed to the table against the wall with Ruby. She pulled a notebook out of her bag and looked over the list she'd made with her sisters of things to organise before the wedding. There seemed to be so much to do in the next four and a half months.

"You can't leave that there."

"Eh?" Katy looked up in confusion, frowning. "Leave what where?"

"The pram. You can't leave it there. It's in the way." Lucy told her.

"What are you on about? How is that in the way?" The brunette demanded, glancing over to where she'd left Ruby's pram.

"It's a health and safety hazard. You'll have to move it."

Standing up with a sharp exhalation of annoyance, Katy glared at her and settled her daughter back into the pram. Shouldering her bag, she glared at the blonde and stalked out of the café. Outside in the street she sighed and wandered over to where Bianca was rubbing her hands together to try and keep them warm.

"Alright?" She called, smiling and bending to stoke Ruby's cheek. "What you up to?"

"Nothing much. Having a day off is great, but not when everyone else is busy."

"Poor you." Bianca teased, making her laugh.

"Can you watch Rubes for a sec while I pop into the shop?"

When the red-head nodded, Katy hurried into the Minute Mart and gathered up some snacks and a magazine. She paid Denise and smiled at her, before heading outside to reclaim her daughter before Bianca refused to give her back.

"Fancy a drink tonight at the Vic?" The woman asked when Katy returned.

She shrugged. "Yeah, don't see why not. I'll see you later."

Making her way slowly back the way she'd come, Katy headed under the Bridge and turned right. She walked past R&R, resisting the temptation to go in and made her way into the park. It was cold, but Ruby was wrapped up nice and warm and the fresh air would probably do her good, not to mention spending time with her Mum. Katy knew that Ruby had been passed from pillar to post too much the last week or so and felt guilty, even though she knew that she was being well taken care of.

"Come on sweetie… let's look at the ducks, shall we?"

"No!" Ruby shouted, making her Mum laugh. "Like ducks!"

"I thought you did. Auntie Jean said you like feeding the ducks too." Katy said, shifting Ruby into a more comfortable position as they stood next to the pond. "How many ducks are there? One… two… three… four… five little ducks. Do they like crisps?"

"No! Crisps! Want crisps!"

Laughing again, Katy turned away from the pond and walked back to the table where she'd left the pram. "OK, baby, you can have the crisps, not the ducks."

While the toddler tucked into the packet of crisps sitting happily in her pram, Katy rested her head on one hand and stared thoughtfully at the shrubs on the other side of the park. She sighed, running her free hand over her stomach lightly. It was too late to do anything about it now; Tyler knew she was pregnant and she couldn't lie to him. She vaguely remembered Lauren and Whitney telling her something about Lucy having an abortion and telling people she'd had a miscarriage, but there was no way Katy would ever do that. She couldn't lie about that. The guilt would eat away at her until she couldn't cope with it anymore.

Glancing sideways to check her daughter was alright, Katy jumped. She could have sworn that she'd seen her mother over by the trees at the edge of the park. Shaking her head, the young woman reminded herself that that was impossible. Karen Parker had been dead and buried for three years. Despite knowing that, Katy stared at the spot that she thought she had seen the woman for a couple of minutes.

"You alright?" A voice asked, making Katy jump and whirl around nervously. "Hey? What's wrong?"

"Oh, Max, hi…"

"You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Yeah, something like that…" She agreed.

"Anything you wanna talk about?" He asked, sitting opposite her and watching her seriously. "You look like you've got a lot on your mind."

"What's it to you?"

"You're Lauren's best mate. You were there for Tanya and the girls when they needed you. Now I wanna make it up to you for that. Besides, you're family, ain't ya?"

"You sound like a Mitchell."

He stood up and smiled, pushing his hands into his pockets and shrugging. "You need to talk, you know where I am."


	107. Chapter 107

Katy considered Max's words as she headed back through the market a while later. Bianca called after her, arranging to meet at the Vic at six. When Katy had Ruby settled in the living room watching cartoons and playing with her toys, the young woman pulled out her mobile and scrolled through her contacts.

"Max?" She said as the call was answered. "Can I take you up on that offer?"

"Umm… yeah, babe, I can come over now if you want?"

"Thanks… Ty's away at some trade fair thing… again."

"I'll be over as soon as I can." He promised.

She hung up the phone and put it on the counter, breathing out sharply. Closing her eyes, Katy turned and leant against the cabinets, her palms flat on the surface. She really wanted a drink, but she knew she couldn't have one. Running a hand over her stomach, she flicked the switch on the kettle instead.

Biting her thumbnail, her mind wandered to what she'd seen in the park. Or, at least, what she thought she'd seen. If she hadn't known better she would have sworn that it was her, standing on the other side of the park just watching. Katy shook her head firmly.

"Don't be stupid. She's dead. She's not coming back." She told herself firmly.

"Katy?"

The girl whirled round in fear. The kitchen was completely empty. She took a deep breath, shaking her head again. The switch on the kettle clicked as it finished boiling, causing Katy to give a small squeak of surprise. No sooner had she given herself a mental shake than there was a loud knocking on the front door and she screamed again.

Furious with herself for being so jumpy, Katy went to answer the door. She smiled at Max and stood aside as he walked in, holding up a bag from the chippy. Directing the man into the living room, Katy went to fetch plates and dish out the chips. She carried them back into the room and smiled as she watched Max seating Ruby on the sofa ready.

"Here y'are." She grinned, handing him the largest of the portions and Ruby the smallest.

"Thanks. There's a bottle of wine in the bag, too."

"Yeah, I saw it." Katy told him with a nod. "You'll have to drink it on your own, though. I've given up alcohol for lent."

"Ain't that the excuse you gave when you weren't drinking 'cos you were pregnant?" Max asked. He met the young woman's eyes and realisation dawned. "Ah…"

"You can't tell anyone, Max."

"You told Tyler?"

"Yeah, course I have… and my sisters and Jack know." She said quickly. "But I'm only 7 weeks and… I'm not sure I want it."

Max's eyes widened and he put down his plate on the coffee table. "Have you told Tyler that part?"

"No… No, Max! How can I tell him that?" Katy demanded. "How's he going to feel if I tell him I want to get rid of his baby, when I kept Nathan's? I can't do that to him. I love him. It would destroy him and it would destroy us."

Glancing quickly at Ruby, who was looking between them in confusion, Max cleared his throat. "We'll talk about this after we've eaten, alright?"

She nodded slowly and looked down at her chips, refusing to meet his eyes. They ate in silence, the cartoons Ruby had been watching breaking the silence that would have fallen otherwise. Once they had finished, Katy smiled at her daughter and piled up the plates. Max followed her into the kitchen, pushing the door almost closed and folding his arms.

"So? What are you going to do?"

"I don't know, Max. I haven't got a clue. There's nothing I can do." Katy admitted, shaking her head. "Ronnie and Roxy said that I'd regret it if I got rid of it. Then I told Tyler and now it's too late to change my mind."

"There are ways–"

"No! I won't lie to him about that."

"I'm not saying you should." Max told her gently, moving forward and rubbing her upper arms reassuringly. "Just… why don't you think you want the baby?"

"I'm too young, Max. I know I've got Ruby, but I can cope with one. I don't know if I can deal with two kids and Tyler at the same time. It would be like having three kids."

"I've always thought you could do far better than Tyler Moon."

"Oh, shut up. I love him." She reminded him with a smile. "But… we ain't got much money and we're trying to plan and pay for a wedding, pay the bills and buy food and get everything else we need. Ty's doing his best on the stall and I'm working all the hours I can get at the club but it's just not enough."

"You need to take care of yourself now you're pregnant."

"You don't need to tell me that. But… I can't relax or we won't eat. Ron's already offered to help, but I don't want their money. This is my… I was gonna say mistake. I didn't mean that. This is my… situation… to deal with and I'm gonna do it my way."

"But you've got to think about what's best for you and all." He sighed as she buried her face in his chest, wrapping his arms round her and giving her a hug. "Is that all that's bothering you?"

"Yeah." She said firmly, pulling away from him and wrapping her cardigan tightly around her. She thought about the incident in the park and then the voice she'd heard while she was waiting for him to arrive, but dismissed the thoughts quickly. She was just tired and stressed, that was all. "Did you want wine or tea?"

"Tea's fine with me." He said. "Katy… has something else happened?"

"Like what?"

"I dunno, babe… You fallen out with Lauren or something?"

"No." She said firmly. "Actually I was gonna see if she wanted to go for a drink tonight. I'm meeting Bianca and Whit in the Vic."

"I'll mention it to her if you like. Me and Kirsty are going round for dinner and a chat with her and Abi."

Katy arched an eyebrow. "But you've just eaten a plateful of chips. What time is this dinner?"

"Half four…"

"Well you're an hour late." She pointed out. "Kirsty won't be best pleased."

"I'll tell her I had to see a man about a car."

"Really? I ain't becoming one of your little secrets, Max. Besides, if you're gonna mention the Vic to Lauren then they'll know you've seen me."

"I could have bumped into you in the street." He pointed out with a smirk. "Don't worry about me."

"You'd better get going, though." Katy told him with a smile. "And thanks…"

"I didn't really do much."

As she opened the front door, Katy kissed him on the cheek lightly. "Just being here helped. So thank you. I'll maybe see you over the Vic later… tell Lauren, yeah?"

* * *

_**A/N: Thank you so much for reading lovelies!**_

_**Special thanks to **_**Gillian Kearney Fan**_** and **_**Torchwood Boy**_** for your reviews! :D**_

_**x**_


	108. Chapter 108

"What was Max Branning doing in your house earlier?" Roxy demanded as Katy went to the bar to buy a round of drinks a while later.

"How do you know Max was round mine?" Her sister asked, frowning.

"News travels fast in this place." Roxy said. Then she shrugged. "Mo saw him leaving."

The brunette rolled her eyes. "He just popped in for a chat, that's all. Seriously, Rox? He's Lauren's Dad!"

"Yeah, well, he's got a re–"

"Reputation, yeah, I am well aware of that." Katy told her with a grin. "But I'm getting married in four months, if you'd forgotten."

"That didn't stop Stacey Slater."

"Oh shut up, Roxanne. Anyway, I'm not exactly in the mood to start an affair at the moment."

"How you feeling about everything?"

She shrugged. "The same as I was before. Like I said, Rox, it's gonna take me a while to get my head round it." Glancing over her shoulder, she leant forwards. "I've told them I'm getting a vodka and orange… whoever buys the next round, don't put vodka in the orange juice, right?"

"What if someone else serves them?"

"Then I'll… knock over the glass or something. I ain't telling anyone yet."

Her sister nodded and grinned. Taking three drinks over to the table, the brunette returned to the bar to collect her own glass. Lauren hadn't appeared, but Katy was enjoying spending time with Whitney, Bianca and Carol anyway. It had been ages since she'd had the chance to catch up with them. After she finished her drink quickly, Carol stood and excused herself. As soon as she'd gone, her daughter and granddaughter burst out laughing. Katy looked between them curiously.

"What?" She demanded. "What's so funny?"

"She's got a date… with Masood."

Katy's mouth dropped open and she laughed as well. "No way? Good for her! I thought she was all dressed up."

"Yeah, well, she's refusing to admit it's a date." Bianca said with a shrug. Draining her glass, she looked at the two girls. "Get us another, shall I?"

They nodded and watched as she made her way to the bar, placing the order with Roxy. Katy watched carefully as her sister got the drinks, smiling as she met the blonde's eyes. No sooner had Bianca sat down beside them, than all three saw Kat making her way to the bar. At once Katy was on guard. After the events of the previous evening, Bianca and Whitney were watching the brunette nervously, wondering whether she was about to kick off.

"_Well, well, well… look who it is._" Roxy said with a smirk, leaning on the bar.

"_I'm not stopping; I've come to get Tommy._" Kat informed her with a small shrug. She glanced around. "_Is Alfie here?_"

"_I'll just check… Alfie!_" She shouted, winking at her sister. "_It's here. Can you bring Tommy through with you?_" Jean glanced around warily as Roxy lowered her voice to a normal speaking volume. She caught Katy's eye and the younger woman smiled weakly at her, shrugging. "_So where've you been all day, huh? When you were supposed to be looking after your own child? No doubt you were out on the pull or something, weren't you?_"

"_I haven't come here for another fight._"

Roxy smirked, shaking her head. "_You have, look at your face. Look at that… you see that? Butter wouldn't melt…_"

"_What I do in my private life is my own business._" Kat snapped.

"_Oh yeah, if your private life stayed your own business, maybe._"

Sensing that another fight was about to kick off, Katy sighed and put her glass down. She smiled weakly at Bianca and Whitney, shrugged and moved to stand beside her sister. Kat rolled her eyes, but the young woman just glared at her.

"Oh, here we go. Here comes your little sidekick." Kat sneered.

Glaring at her, Katy stepped forwards and jabbed her finger at the woman, but Alfie cut across them. "_Not now… not now, eh? Listen, Kat, when you get him home you might wanna get him something to eat, 'cos he's a bit hungry._"

"_Oi!_" Roxy snapped. "_Will you stop going on like nothing's happened, Alfie?_"

"_Roxy, please stop. Stop! Just stop…_"

"_I'll bring him back at the usual time, yeah?_" Katy said calmly, her tone grating on the young brunette. Katy knew that she was just putting on the reasonable act to make Roxy look like she was overreacting. On the other hand, Katy wished her sister would stop acting so aggressively, because she wasn't going herself any favours.

"_So she can go out on the pull after, probably._" Roxy accused.

"Rox." Katy muttered, frowning at her as Jean offered to walk home with Kat.

Her sister looked at her and shrugged. "_Notice how she's not denying it! Come on, was it someone special? Or, I don't know… first come, first served? What?_"

"_Come on; let's just ignore it, Kat._" Jean suggested, trying to pull her away.

"Leave it, Roxy!" Katy muttered in her ear. "You're just upsetting Alfie…"

"_No… if she wants to know, I'll tell her._" Kat said, still trying to be the reasonable one. _"It was Michael, Roxy. Yeah… you really missed out there, didn't you, eh? Now there's a man who really knows how to please a woman._ Although you both know that, don't ya?" She asked, glancing between the sisters with a smirk. Katy clenched her hand into a fist, struggling to fight the urge to punch her in the face. "_I might ask him to give Alfie a few tips. You never know, might perk things up a bit for ya._"

"You bitch…" Katy muttered, shaking her head as first Alfie, then Roxy wandered away. "Do you have absolutely no morals at all?"

"That's rich, coming from you!"

"Me? What've I done that in any way compares to what you did? You know what… good luck. You and Michael deserve each other." She snapped, stalking away and dropping onto her seat beside Whitney. As her friend and her mother looked at her questioningly, she shook her head and held up a hand. "Just don't, yeah, Bianca. I know Kat's your mate, but Rox is my sister and she ain't done nothing wrong."

"Well…"

"No, B, she ain't! Kat and Alfie split before Alfie and Roxy got together. Kat had the affair, Alfie asked Rox to move in and Alfie decided he wanted a divorce. Rox ain't done nothing. I'm just worried that my sister's gonna get hurt."

Whitney and Bianca exchanged a look but didn't say anything. For a while they tried to carry on the conversation, but Katy's mind was obviously elsewhere. Finally she admitted defeat and said goodnight, saying she'd see them both tomorrow. Katy left the pub and headed over to Ronnie and Jack's to pick up Ruby.

As soon as she walked through the door Ronnie handed her a mug of tea and sat her down, demanding to know what had gone on between Roxy and Kat. Apparently their sister had text her to say she'd had another run-in, but hadn't replied to Ronnie's request for more information. When the brunette had been through the whole story, her sister suggested she might as well stay over, rather than disturbing Ruby and going back to an empty house. Gratefully Katy accepted, not really wanting to be on her own.

x-x

"Ty… I've been going through everything and even with all the hours I've been working at the club and all the hours you're doing, we can only just cover the bills and buy food." Katy sighed, glancing up from the papers spread over the table the next afternoon.

Tyler sighed and leant against the counters folding his arms. "That's alright, though? At least we can cover that?"

"It's not alright, babe. Ruby needs a new coat and new shoes and we've got a wedding to pay for. When the baby's born it's just gonna get worse. I was hoping we'd be able to put a bit by, but we just can't afford to."

"I can ask Dad if he can help us out a bit."

Shaking her head, the young woman sighed. "Your Dad's skint, remember? Actually, you do need to get hold of him."

"Why?"

"The wedding, babe. I know we're not sending out the invites yet–"

"Because we haven't sorted it." Tyler reminded her with a grin.

"–but the sooner he knows about it the more likely he'll be able to come; the same with your Mum and Ant." Katy continued as though he hadn't interrupted. "I was thinking… would you prefer the Vic or the R&R for the reception? That's the handy thing about family; we've got connections."

"The club's probably a better bet. We can put the food and drink in the VIP room and have the bar for dancing and that."

"Right, I'll speak to Ron." She nodded, scribbling herself a note to remind her to speak to her sister about the club. "We've got four months to get everything sorted."

"I don't want you getting stressed." Tyler warned her, moving to sit on the chair beside hers at the table and putting a hand on her stomach. "You and the baby are more important than a stupid dress or the perfect flower arrangement."

Turning to him with a smile, Katy put her hands on either side of his face. "Do you know me at all? I don't care about flowers or a dress." She gave him a quick kiss, before turning back to the information. "But if I don't arrange the wedding then Roxy will and who knows what we'd end up with."

He laughed. "We can postpone it, you know… until after the baby's born."

"Nah, I'll only be six months." She replied with a shrug. "Ron'll be seven and a half. Then again, it wouldn't be a Mitchell wedding if someone wasn't up the duff."

"You decided on bridesmaids and stuff yet?" He asked, smirking as Katy raised an eyebrow and exhaled sharply. "That bad?"

"Do you realise how political weddings are?" His fiancée demanded. "Lauren and Whitney would never speak to me again if I didn't ask them and Amy would throw an absolute fit, so would Lola. I know Tiff's been dropping hints about it too."

"But she ain't family so you don't have to let her be a bridesmaid."

"Yeah, I know that. But I owe the Butchers for everything, really. If they hadn't taken me in when I first got here then I wouldn't be here now. Besides, I love Tiff and she'd be gutted."

Tyler shrugged. "Fair enough. So Lauren, Whitney, Lola, Amy and Tiff." Seeing Katy's face he sighed. "No?"

"Ruby… Lexi… Scarlett… Ron… Rox…" She groaned and rested her head on the table. "Why are there so many females in our family?"

"Lexi and Scarlett are too little to be bridesmaids or flower girls." Tyler told her firmly. "You can ask your sisters to be joint Maids of Honour and Ruby is obviously the flower girl. Don't over think it, babe."

With a smile, Katy shook her head. "D'you wanna do the planning for me?"

Before he could reply, they heard Ruby in the living room waking up from her nap and Tyler leapt out of his seat to go and see her. Katy rolled her eyes and returned her attention to the wedding plans.


	109. Chapter 109

Things continued as normal for a while. Katy was stopped on her way to work on Monday by Tanya. The young brunette hugged her delightedly and waved away the woman's thanks for the birthday card, saying it was nothing. After all the support Tanya had given her while she was pregnant with Ruby, Katy was tempted to tell her about being pregnant again, but Lola appeared and asked to speak to her about Phil and Lexi and the moment passed.

"You said you'd help me." Lola snapped accusingly. "He won't even give us a lift to court for the hearing."

Katy sighed, leaning against the wall of the R&R to continue the conversation before going inside. "I will… I am trying to help."

"Yeah, right. You don't care."

"Lola, hon, listen… I don't know what you want me to say or do. I can't wave a magic wand and make Phil see sense."

"Yeah, but you could at least try and do something." The blonde told her. "If it was Ronnie or Roxy you would."

Shaking her head, the older Mitchell glanced at the time. "I'm already late for work; I was supposed to be there at four… OK. Blondie likes you, so you go and tell her I'm doing you a favour so she don't dock my wages or summit and I'll go and have a word with him, deal?"

Lola beamed at her and pulled her into a hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"I'm not promising nothing, babe. You know what he's like."

"Yeah, but he has like zero respect for me."

"And he does for me?" Katy laughed. "The only person Phil has any respect for is Auntie Peg. But just cover for me, yeah? Is he at the Arches?"

As Lola nodded and headed into the club, Katy headed along Turpin Road, stopping briefly to chat to Whitney and Fatboy who were sitting by the War Memorial eating chips. She knocked on the door of the Arches, attracting her cousin's attention. Phil glanced up quickly, saw it was her and returned his attention to the engine he was working on. Katy sighed and folded her arms and leant against the desk, waiting for him to address her.

"What d'you want? I'm busy, yeah?" He snapped after a moment or two.

"Why did you refuse to take Lola and Billy to court? What harm is that gonna do?"

"What's it to you, eh?"

Katy shook her head. "They're my family, Phil. Lola's really missing Lexi… she's her daughter. Lo's really tried hard to prove she can look after her properly and you and I both know she's perfectly capable of being a brilliant Mum."

Phil snorted. "Yeah, right?"

"Oh… I know what this is about." Katy said, suddenly understanding. "You know that Lola's done enough to get her daughter back and you don't want that to happen. You want her to fail because you don't want to give Lexi up." She shook her head in disgust. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"What would you know about it, eh? You were banged up for five months; your daughter saw more of me than she did of you. Lola ain't fit to look after my granddaughter and you wanna watch that someone don't report you and all." Phil warned, advancing on her slowly.

"Is that a threat? What the hell gives you the right to criticise anyone's parenting abilities, Phil? Because you're such a great Dad, right? So where are your kids?"

"You keep my kids out of this."

She laughed mirthlessly. "Why? 'Cos that's the whole point, ain't it? You've messed up with Ben and Lou and now you've got a second chance."

"Don't talk about Ben and Louise!" Phil bellowed furiously.

"Why not?" Katy asked with a shrug. "Oh? Because Ben's banged up for murder and Auntie Peggy took Lou back to her Mum's 'cos you weren't fit to look after her? What does that tell you? Your own mother thought your daughter was better off away from you." As the man lurched towards her threateningly, Katy arched an eyebrow. "You gonna hit me, Phil? That'll look great to the social, won't it?"

"What kind of Mitchell are you, eh, coming out with all this?"

"The Mitchells are all about family, ain't we? So that would make me more of a Mitchell than you at the moment. Lola is Lexi's Mum. This ain't right. Lola wouldn't cut you out of Lexi's life like you're doing to her."

"My granddaughter is better off with me."

Realising that she'd do more good talking to a brick wall, Katy shook her head and stalked through the door. "You know what, Phil? This is pointless. You're so selfish you can't see what's best for Lexi. It's all about you, ain't it? Everything is always about you. The sooner you sort yourself out, the better it'll be for everyone."

Slamming the door behind her, she left the garage shaking with anger. Katy was well aware that it probably would have been better if she hadn't brought up Phil's children and how he'd failed with them, but she knew that it was that very fact that was the reason why he was doing this to Lola. He had something to prove and wanted a second chance to show that he could be a good Dad. Katy understood that. But Phil couldn't do that to Lola.

"Well?" The blonde asked, making Katy jump. She hadn't spotted her younger cousin waiting for her outside the R&R. "Did you speak to him?"

"Yeah… don't hold your breath he's gonna have a personality transplant."

Lola's face fell. "You had a fight, didn't you?"

"You could say that. I chucked some home truths at him and it didn't exactly go down well." Katy admitted. "I left him with something to think about, though."

x-x

Katy was far from pleased when Sharon told her and Joey about Phil giving her part of his share in the club. She stood and watched, slightly smugly, as the young man unloaded the boxes from the back of the van and Katy checked them off on the lists in her hands. It was bad enough Janine having a share in R&R, but with Sharon now owning 19% as well, it was slipping further out of her sister's control.

"_So… would anything actually change then, or what?_" Joey asked.

"_Well I'll still be your boss._" Sharon told him. "_Only thing is, if I want to sack you I won't have to ask Phil's permission._ Or Ronnie's."

"_As if you needed his permission for that! He's wrapped round your little finger, ain't he?_"

Katy rolled her eyes. She knew that the sacking comment had been largely directed at her. Until now, she had been able to get away with cheeking Sharon, because Ronnie was there to protect her from being fired. Now, owning only 1% less of the business, Sharon would be able to sack her without consulting anyone.

As Kirsty called Joey over to speak to her and Jack, Katy shoved the clipboard in her boss' direction and stalked inside, muttering something about needing to check the dishwasher. Instead, she went into the office where Ronnie was going through the accounts. As the young woman stormed in and dropped onto the sofa angrily, she glanced up and sighed.

"Don't get stressed out; it's not good for you or the baby."

"Shut up, Ron."

"I'm guessing you've heard?"

"Why didn't you tell me? I had to hear it from Blondie!" Katy moaned in irritation. "And what was Phil thinking?"

"Well, I can guess what he was thinking." Ronnie told her with a sigh. "He's hoping this will get him into her good books. Apparently she asked for a raise and he said no, so she told him she was going to look for another job. Next thing he's giving her 19% of the club."

"And that don't worry you? That's only 1% less than you."

"Yes, Katy, it worries me. This was my club; mine and Rox's… R&R. Well, ours and Jack's. Now it's mine and Phil's and Janine's and Sharon's."

"Well… I'll just have to get some money and persuade them to let me buy them out." Her sister suggested with a grin.

Ronnie laughed. "Yes well, that would be lovely. But until then you've got work to do, sweetie."

Katy grinned and left the office quickly. She found Joey in the bar and he started complaining at her the second she appeared. As they readied the club for that night, he told her all about Kirsty's plan for them to get together for Derek's birthday. She snorted, understanding why he didn't want to go and toast his father.

After spending his time trying to decide what to do for the best, what would be best for Alice, but apparently not coming up with a solution he liked, Joey started sulking. Katy rolled her eyes and turned her attention to what she was supposed to be doing. Being on the earlier shift, Joey left at nine and the brunette squeezed his arm and smiled as he nodded and left.


	110. Chapter 110

"What've you done?" Lola hissed, grabbing Katy's arm as she leant against the wall of the club chatting to the bouncers during her break. Inside it was boiling, so she'd come outside for some air and some peace. Instead she'd been faced with the unusually pale teenager.

"What d'you mean?"

"What happened with you and Phil earlier?"

Katy frowned. "I had a go at him for you. I thought that's what you wanted. Why? What's he said?"

"He ain't said nothing." Lola said quickly. "Abi just text me to say he's been beaten up. Apparently he wandered into the Vic all battered and then collapsed. You said you gave him something to think about… what did you mean?"

"I just… I told him that he wasn't such a great Dad and to think about that before having a go at you." The brunette assured her, rubbing her forehead in agitation. "Why? You don't… Lola? You don't think I did this?"

"Did you?"

Shaking her head, the older woman laughed cynically. "Thanks, Lola. It's good to know you trust me." With a sigh, she glanced around nervously. "Does anyone else know I went to see– Sharon… oh, god. She knows I went to see Phil… Shit…"

"So it wasn't you?"

"No! Lola, it wasn't. I… I need to go and see Ronnie… come on."

Grabbing the younger girl's arm, she pulled her past the bouncer and into the club. Not bothering to knock on the office door, Katy went inside. The blonde looked up from behind the desk, frowning as her eyes fell on Lola. Her frown deepened as she saw the expression on her sister's face.

"We've got a problem, Ron…"

Quickly Lola told the older woman what had happened and Ronnie groaned, putting her head in her hands. Her first question was to ask Katy whether she was telling her everything. With a growl of annoyance, the brunette started to storm off.

"Look, if you're hiding anything…"

"I'm not!" She promised vehemently. "We had an argument and I left. Phil was definitely fine when I came back to work!"

"Right… I'm gonna go and–" She stopped as her mobile began to ring. "Max? He's what?! Oh my god… I'll be right there."

"Ronnie?" Lola looked terrified at the unfolding events. Katy guessed that she was worrying about how it would impact on her court case. "What's happening?"

"That was Max." She informed them unnecessarily. "It was Jack."

"What?!"

"Jack hit Phil… they've called an ambulance and the police. I've got to get to the Vic." She grabbed her jacket and bag. "Lola, come with me. Katy, back to work, please."

"But–"

"You wanna get paid?" When her sister nodded, Ronnie shrugged and walked to the door, pulling the blonde teenager with her. "Right, so get back to work."

Katy rolled her eyes. Then she did as she was told and went back behind the bar, throwing herself into her work. Part of her mind was constantly on what was going on with her sister and brother-in-law and whether Jack would end up in serious trouble. She was relieved, however, that she was in the clear. The second Lola had told her that Phil had been attacked she had been terrified that they'd put her back in Larkhall. However much she made out that it had been a laugh, that she could handle being in prison, that it hadn't affected her, she was terrified of being sent back. Her hands were shaking at the thought of it.

x-x

"Why did he do it, then?" Katy asked, settling herself at the kitchen table on Saturday morning. It was the first opportunity she'd had to speak to her sister since they'd found out about Jack and Phil's altercation.

Ronnie sighed and set a mug of coffee in front of her sister, before sitting down herself. "I was annoyed about Sharon just being handed shares in the club… my club… and I told Jack about it. He went to talk to Phil about showing me more respect and things just… got out of hand."

"And… has Phil told the police? Is Jack in trouble?"

"No… Phil's not pressing charges." The blonde informed her. The younger woman sighed deeply in relief.

"I think Lola honestly thought I'd smacked Phil." Katy said with a grin, resting her chin on her hand and grinning in amusement.

"As if you could do any serious harm to him." Ronnie laughed.

Katy pouted. "I could! I can handle myself, thank you very much."

Her sister laughed again, shook her head and stood up. As she started pottering around the kitchen, the brunette stood up too and said goodbye.

x-x

Katy clutched her mobile tightly on Monday afternoon. Lola had popped round to see her before going to the hearing about whether or not she could see more of Lexi and the older girl had done her best to reassure the blonde that everything would work out. She reminded her how hard she'd worked to meet all the points the social worker had raised and told Lola that they would be stupid if they didn't give her more access to her daughter.

As time went on, Katy grew worried when she didn't hear anything. Lola had promised to phone her when she got back from the hearing, but Katy was sure she should have been back before now. As soon as Tyler returned home from the stall, the young woman left the house and went in search of her cousin.

"Billy?" The brunette caught hold of her cousin's arm as he hurried past her, looking worried. "What's happened? Lo said she'd ring me but–"

"Have you seen her?" Billy hissed worriedly.

"What? No I just–"

"Things went badly at the hearing and she's taken Lexi. They've disappeared, Katy. We need to find her!"

Nodding, the young woman squeezed his arm reassuringly and hurried away. She knew that if Phil found Lola before anyone else things would go from bad to worse. If she could get to the teenager and her daughter then maybe she could persuade her to calm down and think straight for a minute or two.

"Denise?" She called, passing the Minute Mart. "Have you seen Lola?"

"Umm… not today, sorry." The woman told her with an apologetic shrug.

As she retreated inside her shop, Katy sighed and stopped. Putting one hand to her forehead, she gazed up and down Bridge Street thoughtfully, trying to work out where her cousin might have gone that Phil and Billy wouldn't have thought to check.

She was just heading towards the Community Centre when her mobile starting ringing, making her jump as the sound cut through the near-silence. Glancing at the display, she just had time to register her fiancé's name before pressing accept.

"Baby, I need to find Lola. Can I call you–"

"She's here, Katy. You need to get here now… she's in a right state." He told her quickly, cutting across her.

Breathing a sigh of relief, the young woman nodded. "I'll be right there."

Pushing her mobile back into the pocket of her jeans, she almost ran back towards her house. Barging through the front door, she stuck her head round into the living room, only for Tyler to indicate that Lola was in the kitchen.

"Lola!" Katy called, rushing into the kitchen and pulling the blonde into a tight hug. Then she held her at arm's length and looked at her seriously. "You need to take Lexi back."

"I can't! He won't let me see her!" Lola cried. "She's my daughter!"

"I know, babe, I know!" Her cousin shushed her gently, rubbing Lola's back and guiding her into a chair at the kitchen table. "But this isn't helping. You're just giving Phil ammunition to use against you."

Lola sobbed, wiping her eyes and looking at her daughter in the pram. "You have to help me!"

"Lo… I can't… helping you would be telling Billy where you are." Katy told her quietly. Seeing the teenager's anger rising, she sighed. "You know I'm on your side. You know that I think Lexi should be with you. But if you want that to happen you can't just run off with her. Phil won't think twice about using it to make sure he gets to keep Lexi, you know that."

Before Lola could answer, there was a furious hammering on the front door and the unmistakable sounds of Phil shouting for the brunette to get outside. Katy made a split second decision and reached for her purse, pulling out a couple of crumpled notes and pushing them in the teenager's direction.

"It's all I've got." She told her apologetically. "It won't get you very far but…"

"Thank you."

Wiping her eyes roughly, Katy put on a hard expression. "Go out the back… I'll hold him up for as long as I can. Ring me."


	111. Chapter 111

"Oi!" Phil's furious voice accompanied the loud banging on the front door.

Katy smiled at her fiancé and daughter in the living room and pulled the door closed, before answering her step-brother's calls. She sighed deeply as he barged into the house, knocking her backwards into the wall as he checked to see if Lola and Lexi were there.

"PHIL!" The young woman shouted as he rampaged through the house furiously. She heard Ruby crying and went to pick her up, shushing her gently. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Have you seen her?"

"Who? Lola?" When Phil looked at her as though she was stupid, Katy sighed. "No, Phil, I ain't. I think you should leave, now. I won't let you upset my daughter. Get out!"

"If I find out you've lied to me…" He glared at her for a moment, before turning and stamping out of the house.

Katy exhaled sharply, relieved that Lola had managed to get out before Phil realised she was there. She knew that he'd have gone mad if he realised that she'd seen them, let alone helped them escape. Katy still wasn't sure she'd done the right thing.

After settling her daughter, Tyler encouraged her to go and see what was going on. He reasoned that Phil would get suspicious if she didn't. Seeing the logic in his words, she grabbed a jacket. Struck by sudden inspiration, she went into the kitchen and hunted around in the crap drawer for something. Pulling out her old mobile and its charger, she pushed them into her pocket and and headed out into the Square, bumping into Sharon before she'd got very far.

"Have you seen Lola?" The blonde asked.

"Like I told Phil, no." Katy told her firmly. Sharon looked at her carefully, one eyebrow rising slightly as her eyes moved over the younger woman's face. "What?"

"Are you sure?"

Katy sighed loudly, shaking her head. "Of course I'm sure. I wouldn't have said so otherwise, would I?"

"Wouldn't you?"

"Don't you think we should be looking for her, rather than you interrogating me?" Katy snapped, uncomfortable under the woman's gaze.

Sharon nodded and walked away quickly to catch up with Phil. The brunette breathed out deeply, relieved that the woman seemed to have given up for a while at least. Then she glanced around for inspiration. Her gaze settled on Dexter and his Mum waiting on Phil's doorstep. Katy's eyes narrowed as she watched them walk inside, the boy still wearing his overalls from the Arches.

"Shit…" She muttered, her mind making the connections almost instantly.

Racing towards the garage, she skidded to a halt outside and knocked lightly on the metal door. There was a scuffling sound from inside as she slid the door open. Looking around, the brunette couldn't see her cousin, but she could see the empty petty cash tin on the desk.

"Lo? Lola… you've got to leave… now!" Katy warned her urgently.

The blonde appeared from behind the car, her daughter in her arms. "What?"

"I've just seen your mate Dexter going into Phil's." The older girl told her quickly. "If you're going, you need to go, now! Take these, yeah, and ring me."

Panicked, Lola rushed towards the door, stopping briefly to accept the mobile and charger and kiss her cousin on the cheek, before vanishing. Katy squeezed her eyes closed and exhaled deeply. She still couldn't bring herself to feel like she was doing the right thing.

With a final look around the garage, she turned to leave. Hearing Phil and Sharon's voices getting closer, along with running footsteps, she put up her hood and ran. She rounded the corner as she heard a tell-tale clanging and guessed that they'd arrived. It would be split-seconds before they realised they were too late.

Reaching the Gardens, Katy stopped and leant against the railings to catch her breath. Composing herself, she looked around and decided to pretend to carry on looking for the teenager.

"Katy! Oi!" The young woman closed her eyes and took a deep breath before turning round and looking towards the source of the shouting. "What were you doing at the Arches just now?"

Her heart sank slightly as Phil advanced on her. "Eh? What're you on about?"

"Don't give me that!" He snapped, jabbing a finger at her and stepping even closer. "I saw you."

"I saw Dexter going into your house, guessed that Lola might be there and went to see."

"And?"

"And she weren't there." Katy lied firmly. "Lexi's pram was there and the empty cash tin, but Lo weren't."

"Why don't I believe you?" The man demanded.

Katy shook her head. "I dunno! I dunno where she is, alright?"

Phil grabbed her upper arms furiously, his face bright red with anger. Katy's eyes widened as she realised just how agitated he was. Struggling, she tried to push him away, but it was pointless. He was far too strong.

"Get off me!" She shouted, more annoyed than anything else.

"Tell me where she is!"

"I don't know!" Katy yelled back, their voices getting louder and louder. "How many times do I have to tell you?!"

"PHIL!" Roxy's voice joined the shouting and the sound of her footsteps rushing towards them was a massive relief to the younger woman. "Get your hands off her!"

She prised her sister free and stood between them, her hands on her hips and her eyes flashing dangerously. "Don't you ever, ever touch her again."

"Where's Lola?" Phil demanded again, taking no notice of his cousin's words.

"For fu– I DON'T KNOW!" Katy bellowed.

"Katy, get home." Roxy ordered firmly. "Phil, she said she don't know. This ain't Katy's fault, so leave her alone."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means," the brunette cut in, unable to leave it alone, "that this is your fault. It's down to you that Lola was pushed into doing this and you know what? I'm proud of her. I hope she never comes back. I hope you never see Lexi again. She'd be better off as far away from you as possible."

"Home, Katy." Her sister snapped, pushing her out of the line of fire as Phil, if it was possible, looked even more furious.

The brunette smirked triumphantly and did as she was told. As soon as her front door was closed behind her she leant against it, shaking violently. Tyler poked his head out of the living room. Seeing her pale face, he wrapped his arms around her and just held her tightly. Katy buried her face in his chest, breathing deeply.

"You alright?" He asked gently, pulling away and looking down at her carefully.

She nodded slowly. "Yeah… I'm just… It's not fair. Why should Lola have to run away just to get to be a mum to Lexi? Why does Phil get to… why would anyone think Lexi was better off with him?"

"I agree, babe, I really do." Tyler assured her, kissing her forehead. "But… Lola's not doing herself any favours."

"I know… I know. I tried to talk her out of it but… I'd do exactly the same. I know I would. I would do absolutely anything to keep Ruby."

Tyler hugged her again, reaching past her to open the door when there was a quiet knock. Roxy appeared, pulling her sister into her arms and sighing.

"Do you know where Lola is?" She asked softly.

Katy shook her head. "No, Rox, I don't."

"But you have seen her?"

There was a long pause and then the brunette nodded. "I gave her thirty quid and then I warned her that Phil knew where she was."

"Why?" Roxy breathed, looking confused. "Surely you realise that when they find her it'll–"

"I know!" Katy snapped. Then she sighed and softened her voice. "I know, Roxy. But if it was you… or me… or Ron… are you telling me you'd just sit back and put up with it? If it was Dad… if he was stopping you being a mum to Amy… you wouldn't be thinking straight either. You wouldn't just let him take her away from you, would you?"

"No." The older Mitchell admitted. "But if the social find out then Lola's gonna be screwed."

"Like Phil's gonna tell them!" Katy laughed. "Lola managed to take Lexi from right under his nose. That's brilliant parenting, ain't it?"

Roxy sighed and moved to the door, pausing with her hand on the latch. "Just… stay out of his way, alright? And keep your mouth shut about helping Lola out. In fact, keep your mouth shut about being on her side. You know what Phil's like…"


	112. Chapter 112

Katy couldn't settle. As the evening went on and it started getting dark, Lola still hadn't called and her cousin was getting worried. She put Ruby to bed and went back downstairs. No sooner had she curled up on the sofa with Tyler than she was on her feet again going to put the kettle on.

With a sigh, Tyler suggested that Katy tried calling the number of the mobile she'd given the blonde. Nodding distractedly, his fiancée picked up her phone, intending to do just that. Before she could, however, her mobile started to ring and she almost dropped it in surprise. Recognising the number, she jammed the handset against her ear.

"Lo? Lola! Where are you?"

"We had to leave… there was a party and then the police came and…"

"Lola. Slow down. I don't know what… Where are you? We'll come and get you."

"No! No you can't! I won't let him take my baby!"

Katy sighed deeply. "Babe… I don't want that either, but this is stupid. It's cold and dark and I am really regretting letting you leave."

"Remember that park we went to that one time?" Lola sighed, sounding as though she'd rather not tell the older girl where she was.

"The one near that care home you liked?"

"Yeah… we'll meet you there."

Nodding and grabbing her jacket, Katy headed to the front door. "Be careful."

"Oi!" Tyler appeared in the hallway, frowning in confusion. "Where are you going?"

"To see Lola." His fiancée replied as though it was the stupidest question in the world.

He frowned even more. "What about Ruby?"

"You're perfectly capable of looking after her for a while, aren't you?" She snapped, frustrated that he was holding her up.

"Well how are you going to get to wherever they are if I stay here?"

"I'll get Ronnie."

"Oh, yeah, course."

"What?" She demanded, hearing the bitter, resigned edge to his voice.

"It's just typical, that's all."

"What is?"

"You running off to your sisters… it's always the same. You make me feel like I'm second best, Katy." He told, equally frustrated.

She closed her eyes and shook her head, taking a calming breath. "It's not like that, Tyler. This is Mitchell stuff, that's all."

"You're not gonna be a Mitchell much longer." The young man pointed out.

There was a strange pang in the region of her chest and Katy clenched her jaw. "I will always be a Mitchell." As he opened his mouth to speak, she held up her hands. "I don't have time for this now. I have to go."

"Call Ronnie and tell her where Lola is. Get her to sort this one out."

"I can't, Tyler. This is my fault. I have to go." She repeated quickly, putting her hand on the latch and turning it.

"If you leave now don't bother to come back." He warned her.

Katy hesitated, biting her lip. Then she opened the door and walked out, not looking back. As the door banged behind her she exhaled deeply and closed her eyes for a moment. Pulling herself together she crossed the Square and let herself into her sister's house. There was no doubt in her mind that Ronnie would be furious with her for letting Lola go; let alone helping her to do so. She just hoped that the blonde would save the lecture for after they'd found Lola and Lexi. Besides, it seemed as though she'd need somewhere to stay for at least one night.

"Katy?"

"I know where Lola is."

Ronnie didn't ask questions. She simply ducked back into the flat to tell Jack where she was going and grab the car keys. They climbed into the vehicle without speaking. Then the blonde turned to her younger sister questioningly. Hurriedly Katy gave her directions to the park and sat back as Ronnie navigated the roads towards their destination.

"How do you know where she is?" The older woman asked as they drew to a halt at a set of traffic lights.

Katy winced. "She rang me."

Ronnie frowned. "How did she do that? Billy said she left her phone in Lexi's pram at the Arches."

"You saw Billy?" The brunette asked, trying to distract her sister.

"I bumped into him not long ago. Answer the question."

"I helped her get away. I gave her £30 and my old mobile and warned her that Phil knew she was in the Arches." Katy said quickly, the words tumbling out of her mouth in her haste to admit what she'd done. As Ronnie rounded on her, half angry, half concerned, the young woman held up her hands. "I know, I know! I regretted it straight away."

"Do you realise how stupid that was?" Ronnie shouted at her, taking Katy by surprise. "I thought you wanted Lola to get Lexi back as soon as possible."

"I do! Of course I do! But I thought about what I'd do and–"

"Oh, please don't tell me that you'd have snatched Ruby?"

Katy laughed mirthlessly. "Of course I would. But unlike Lola I wouldn't have stuck around here. I'd have got as far away as possible."

Ronnie shook her head. "You're just… you…"

"Oh, don't play the innocent with me, Veronica." The brunette snapped, losing her temper. She wasn't even sure why she was so angry with her sister. It was almost as though a red mist of pure rage had descended on her in a matter of seconds. "You aren't seriously telling me you wouldn't do the same? You took James all the way to California to get away from Jack, if you'd forgotten."

"That's not the same."

"Oh? Because James isn't really Jack's son?"

The blonde's grip on the steering wheel tightened even more, turning her knuckles white. "Shut up."

"Don't get on your bloody high horse! What right have you got to tell me what to do? We're exactly the same. You, me, even Roxy… we're screwed up. We're damaged, Ronnie. We don't deserve…" She trailed off, her anger receding as quickly as it had descended on her.

Suddenly feeling trapped in the car, she looked around, realised that she knew where she was and opened the door. Katy was running down the road before Ronnie could do anything about it. The young woman was petrified. She didn't understand why she'd suddenly lost it with her sister. She wasn't even sure why she'd decided to get out of the car. Katy couldn't really remember making the decision.

Pausing on a street corner to catch her breath, the brunette realised that she'd run straight towards the park where she was supposed to meet Lola. Shaking her head at the pure luck of that, Katy walked through the darkness towards the play area. As she got closer, she realised there was no one there. Then she realised that her cousin might be hiding.

"Lola?" She called as loudly as she dared in the silence.

There was a scuffling sound and the blonde's head appeared above the wooden panelled fence on the other side of the playground. The older Mitchell sighed in relief and rushed towards her, sinking to the ground and hugging Lola to her side tightly. She shushed her as Lola sobbed into her shoulder, stroking her hair soothingly.

"We have to go back, Lola." She whispered. "We have to."

"No! I can't! I…"

"It's the only way."

"I won't let him win!" Lola sobbed.

Katy shook her head. "He won't win. I promise you. I won't let him have Lexi for longer than necessary. You just have to be patient and everything will be alright."

"You promise you won't let him have her."

"I will do everything I can to stop him." The brunette assured her cousin firmly.


	113. Chapter 113

Katy had just convinced Lola to go back to the Square when they heard familiar voices and the younger girl froze. Swearing softly as Phil and Sharon's voices came closer, Katy smiled reassuringly at her cousin. Lola shook her head, refusing to move and shushing Lexi to stop her giving them away.

The brunette had to admit that she wasn't keen on the idea of Phil finding them at the moment. He was already furious with her and she wasn't stupid enough to think that her trying to convince Lola to go home would be enough to change that.

Briefly, Katy wondered whether Ronnie had found the park. Thinking about her sister made Katy incredibly ashamed after her outburst and that made her want to cry. Putting her erratic emotions down to the hormones from her pregnancy, she exhaled and then smiled weakly at Lola, not wanting her to see how she was feeling. She rested her head against the wooden partition behind them as Phil and Sharon got close enough for them to hear what they were saying.

"_She used to come here when she was a kid._" Sharon's voice reached them through the darkness. "_Said she felt safe._" There was a long pause. Katy stroked her cousin's head gently as the younger girl burrowed her face into her shoulder. "_Well, it was worth a shot._"

The voices got quieter, reduced to a low murmur. Katy could only make out odd words, but it was enough to let her know that they were still there. Ignoring Lola's protests, Katy shuffled away from her slightly and raised herself up to peek over the top of the fencing. Her face twisted in disgust as she realised that Phil and Sharon were kissing.

As Katy turned to crouch back down and inform Lola of what she'd seen, Lexi began to cry. Both girls froze for a second before trying to soothe the baby and quieten her. It was too late, though and, seconds later, Phil appeared around the partition.

"_Lola!_" He shouted, rushing towards the girls. While the blonde cried out in distress, Katy tried to stand in front of her, shielding the teenager from her step-brother. "Katy, move!"

"No! You can't do this! You can't!"

"Katy…" Sharon reached out from the other side of the wooden panels and grasped her arm tightly. Although the young brunette struggled, she couldn't free herself and Phil sidestepped past her, moving closer to the teenager and her daughter. "It'll be OK."

"No!"

Lola cried, terrified in a crumpled heap on the floor. Katy struggled even more, but stopped when, to her immense surprise, Phil sank to the ground and wrapped Lola in a tight hug. He whispered that everything would be alright, rocking her gently as she cried.

The moment was broken as the sound of a car reached their ears, followed by a door slamming and then the clicking of heels on tarmac. Katy turned to see her sister running towards them. Rounding the fence, Ronnie skidded to a halt in front of her. Her face was flushed with anger and she looked over the scene quickly.

"Get your hands off my sister." She snapped warningly at Sharon who instantly released Katy's arm. In a split second, Ronnie's arm was wrapped around her bicep instead, dragging her away. "Car. Now."

Once they were safely inside the car, the blonde turned to her younger sister. Her face was hard, but her eyes were brimming with tears. "Why?" She asked simply.

It didn't take a genius to realise she was asking about the teenager's earlier outburst and disappearing act. Katy sighed. "I don't know."

"I need more of an answer than that."

"I can't give you one." Katy admitted. "I… I can't…"

Ronnie frowned. "Can't or won't?"

"Can't." The teenager said firmly. "I don't know why I snapped. I don't… It was… I don't know."

Realising that Katy was genuinely confused about her behaviour, Ronnie just nodded and started driving them home. The brunette stared out of the window, biting her lip and trying to work out what was going on in her head. She didn't notice the buildings flashing past as they got closer to Albert Square and it was only when Ronnie reached out and squeezed her knee that she realised they'd arrived.

"Go home and sleep, sweetie." Ronnie ordered gently.

"I can't."

"What d'you mean?"

Katy sighed, shaking her head. "Tyler told me that if I went after Lola that I shouldn't bother coming back."

"And you went anyway."

"I couldn't just leave her out there." The teenager snapped. Then she sighed. "Can I stay at yours?"

Ronnie shook her head and exhaled sharply, but the weak smile on her face indicated that she was agreeing to her sister's request. An equally weak smile twisted the corners of Katy's lips as she realised that, whatever she did, Ronnie would always want her sister to need her.

x-x

"Right… we need to talk." Ronnie said the next morning. She glanced towards her husband who nodded and kissed her quickly, pausing to kiss Katy on the top of her head before leaving the flat. Seeing the teenager staring at her anxiously, Ronnie moved towards her, cupping her cheek gently. "What's going on in that head of yours, eh?"

"I don't know."

"Do you really think that we're screwed up? That we're damaged?"

"Yeah." Katy said quickly. Then she shook her head. "But I shouldn't have said it."

"What were you going to say? You said that we don't deserve something… what?"

"I don't know." The teenager lied, not meeting her sister's eyes. "I was just… talking."

Ronnie clearly didn't believe her, but didn't push the point. "Right well, you'd better get home and speak to Tyler."

"He said–"

"So? You're getting married, Katy. You can't just give up every time you have a fight. If you do, then you might as well not get married at all." At the expression on her sister's face, Ronnie exhaled sharply. "For god's sake, Katy! If you don't want to marry Tyler then don't. But you can't keep doing this; it's not fair on him!"

"I…"

"Katy?"

"I do want to… I just… my head is all over the place. Sometimes I can't think straight and everything gets a bit… confused."

"It'll be fine." Ronnie assured her gently, stroking her cheek and looking into her eyes. "You'll be fine."

Katy wrapped her arms around her sister's neck, nuzzling her face into the silky material of her shirt. The blonde sighed and returned the hug, resting her head on top of the teenager's and running her hand up and down her back soothingly. Pulling away, Ronnie put her hands on Katy's face and forced her to meet her eyes. She didn't say anything, but she didn't need to.

Smiling weakly, the teenager nodded and left the flat, making her way across the Square towards her house. She knocked tentatively, waiting nervously for Tyler to answer. When he did, she looked at him and bit her lip. He looked back at her, before reaching out and pulling her into his arms, holding her tightly against his chest.


	114. Chapter 114

"Hey, Liam!" Katy called, spotting the boy in the gardens. He looked up at her shout and started heading away. "Don't even think about it."

"What d'you want?"

"A word." She replied. Liam sighed and headed towards her, followed by his mates. Katy glared at them. "Sorry, can I help you?"

They muttered under their breaths, but wandered away, leaning against the railings and watching the pair curiously. Katy smiled weakly at her friend's little brother and shook her head. She turned her back on the boys on the other side of the gardens and looked at Liam seriously.

"You alight?"

"Yeah. What d'you want, Katy?"

"Have you seen Whit? I need to ask her a favour."

"Nah." He shook his head, pushing his hands into his pockets. "Can I go now?"

Katy sighed. "Look... I know you won't wanna hear this, and why should you take any notice of what I've got to say anyway, but you're way better than that lot. You're a smart kid, Liam." She nodded towards the kids hanging off the railings. "They're blatantly trouble. Your Mum and Gran don't need the hassle."

"What's it to you?" Liam snapped defensively.

"I don't wanna see them get hurt. Bianca won't tell you, so I will. If you carry on like this it's gonna be her that's in trouble. She could end up back inside if you don't stop acting like a delinquent."

"Yeah? Good!" He shouted, storming away.

The young woman watched him in confused annoyance, the feeling that she'd done more harm than good settling over her like a cloud.

She sighed deeply. That feeling was becoming more and more frequent. Everything she did at the moment seemed to cause more trouble than it was worth. Briefly she thought about turning round and just going home, but she wanted to ask Whitney to babysit Ruby so that she could apologise properly to Tyler. The tension between them had almost been suffocating over the weekend after their argument and Katy knew she had some grovelling to do.

Pausing beside him on the stall, she asked whether he was going to be in that evening. Looking a little confused by the question, Tyler nodded and opened his mouth to reply, when Tamwar interrupted them.

"_Pitch fee._" He said. As Tyler started to come up with an excuse, Tamwar cut across him. "_And the fifty quid you already owe me._"

"_You ain't gonna believe this… right, so, I've wrote out your cheque this morning,_" the older male started, miming the action, "_a brand new cheque, _Katy… _she's poured boiling water over it._"

"Yeah… sorry…" Katy muttered, screwing her face into an apologetic expression. "I'm so clumsy sometimes."

"_Just write a new one._" Tamwar suggested, looking completely unimpressed.

Tyler shrugged. "_Last one in the book, mate._"

"_Just get a new book; call the bank._"

"_I was gonna._" Tyler assured him, thinking fast. His fiancée rolled her eyes as she saw his brain working overtime. "_But I got a splinter in my thumb and that's my dialling thumb._"

Tamwar shook his head and scoffed. "_Tyler… even for you that is lame. Either pay me the money you owe me today, or I'll be forced to give your stall away._"

"I'll sort it." Katy snapped, terrified at the thought of losing the income. "It was my fault, so I'll get the money." As the young man nodded and walked away, Tyler frowned slightly at her. The brunette shrugged. "You need your job, Ty."

"_Used to be such a nice bloke._" Tyler called across the street to Kat who had been watching the exchange with amusement.

"_The power's gone to his head and warped his brain._" She shouted back, making sure Tamwar could hear. "_Just like that Lister!_"

Katy glared at her for a moment, before reaching up to give Tyler a kiss and heading away to continue her search for Whitney. It took her a while and a lot of walking backwards and forwards, but eventually she tracked her friend down in the café. Whitney was delighted at the prospect of babysitting her Goddaughter and the two chatted for a while, before Katy decided she needed to go and get sorted. Shooting Carol a warm smile as she manoeuvred the pram out of the doorway, Katy found herself walking into some sort of warzone.

She flinched as an empty chip carton flew past the pram, glaring at the girl who'd kicked it. Her eyes narrowed even further as she realised she recognised her as one of the teenagers Liam had been with not long before.

"Oi!" Katy snapped. "Watch what you're doing."

The girl laughed. "You gonna make me?"

"If I have to." Katy agreed fiercely.

"Katy!" Tyler shouted, seeing her squaring up to the girl.

"Run along."

Shaking her head, Katy didn't move. "I've taken down bigger idiots than you with my eyes closed." She threatened in a low, dangerous voice, stepping closer and jabbing a finger in the girl's direction. "So shut your mouth and watch your step."

The boys surrounding her laughed. One, with a shaven head and nasty eyes, looked her up and down with a leer. "You're a feisty one… I like that."

"Dream on." Katy laughed mirthlessly.

"Katy!" Tyler repeated, grabbing her arm and pulling her away, one hand directing Ruby's pram. "What are you doing?"

"Someone's got to stand up to them." She told him seriously. "I didn't see you lot anything."

They watched as Tamwar approached the gang nervously. When he ordered them to leave, his voice displayed his apprehension; a nervous tone which had been absent when the girl addressed the teenagers. Katy rolled her eyes and shook her head, knowing that Tamwar would be no match for the group.

She had to admit that she was impressed, however, as he stood his ground. They grouped together threateningly, staring him down, but Tamwar didn't move. He continued to stare them out until the gang reluctantly left, shooting annoyed looks around at everyone watching. As they dispersed, a round of applause started rippling around the market.

"_Oooh! Tamwar! I didn't know you had it in you!_" Kat gushed in a shrill, theatrical tone that made Katy roll her eyes again.

"Please, just… stop getting yourself into situations like that." Tyler begged his fiancée in a low voice, pulling her away from the crowd. "It's not just you that you're putting in danger."

Barely restraining herself from rolling her eyes, Katy gave him a quick nod, a fleeing smile and a kiss before pushing Ruby's pram back towards the house. Her desire to make it up to him for running after Lola the other night had diminished slightly after his overprotective behaviour and she almost considered cancelling with Whitney. Then she changed her mind, deciding that it was probably what they both needed right now.


	115. Chapter 115

"Close your eyes." Katy demanded as soon as Tyler walked through the front door.

He frowned but complied immediately, allowing the girl to lead him through the hallway, holding his hand tightly. He was familiar with the layout of their house and knew exactly where they were, so that element of surprise obviously wasn't what the girl had been going for. When they reached the kitchen, Katy's hand was removed from his and he hesitated, wondering whether he was supposed to open his eyes or not.

"Can I look?" He asked.

"One second…"

There was a rush of air, almost like a deep exhalation of breath, a clunking noise and then a sharp gasp. Tyler was so close to opening his eyes, but Katy spoke and stopped him. A second later he felt her hands running down his arms until their fingers linked. Then he felt her lips pressed against his in a soft, chaste kiss.

"I'm sorry…" She almost whispered against his lips, their hands still entwined at his sides. "And you can open your eyes now."

Tyler did as he was told, a slow smile spreading over his face as he took in the sight. The kitchen was softly lit by white tea lights placed along the counters on either side of the room and a deep red taper candle jammed into the neck of an empty wine bottle placed in the centre of the table. The table was set for two and a dish of pasta bake sat on a mat in the centre, just to the left of the wine bottle candle.

"Babe…"

"I wanted to make it up to you for being so insensitive." Katy explained, pulling him over to a chair and pushing him down into it. She moved to the fridge and pulled out a couple of bottles of lager, setting one in front of him and clutching the neck of the other tightly. "D'you want a glass? You know, to at least attempt to make it look like we're civilised?"

Laughing, the young man stood up and moved to stand in front of her. Gently he removed the bottle from her hand and set it on the counter, moving the tea lights aside. Gripping her hips, he lifted Katy easily and set her on the surface, moving to stand between her legs and letting his hands wander around to the small of her back, pulling her closer.

"Who says I want to be civilised?" He growled softly into her neck.

She tilted her head, allowing him better access for a moment, before pushing his chest to get him to stop. "I actually cooked a proper meal and you are damn well going to eat it before it goes cold."

Sighing deeply, he helped her off the counter and they took their seats at the table. Katy grinned at the slightly sulky expression on Tyler's face as she dished out the pasta. She tried to ignore the scepticism that he was unable to hide as he examined the food carefully, smirking as he took a mouthful and let out an approving moan.

"This is actually really good, babe."

"Cheers…" She muttered sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"So what's for desert?"

"Wait and see."

He frowned. "Will I like it?"

"Undoubtably."

Laughing softly at the petulant expression on his face, remarkably similar to the one that graced her daughter's features when she didn't get her own way, the girl raised her fork to her lips and made a show of putting it into her mouth. His frown deepened at her teasing and she laughed even more.

"So… how bad are things money wise?"

Tyler raised his eyebrows, unable to believe that she wanted to have this conversation now. "What?"

"I know you don't want to talk about it; you never want to talk about it. But we have to, Ty. We've got responsibilities… rent, Ruby, the baby, a wedding… we can't just bury our heads in the sand and pretend everything's alright if it's not." She reasoned.

"It's fine!" He argued. "I'm sorting it!"

"Really? Because it sounded to me like you owe Tamwar big time." She snapped back.

"Just leave it, will you? I said I'll sort it."

"So it's bad?"

"I'm not doing this now."

Suddenly the atmosphere in the kitchen had changed dramatically. With a screech of wood on tile, Katy pushed her chair back and picked up their plates, dumping them in the sink. She leant on the counter, refusing to turn around and face Tyler while her anger levels were still dangerously high. If he said anything remotely irritating she wasn't sure whether she had enough self-control not to smack him.

"I don't get why this is such a big deal." He said, causing her to whirl around. Katy clamped her hands between her and the kitchen counter to prevent herself lashing out. "We're fine, aren't we? We get the rent and bills paid and we never go hungry."

"That's not the point! We are not fine! I had to get an advance from Sharon to pay the last lot of rent. Do you know how humiliating that was? We owe Ronnie fifty quid for the electricity and Roxy leant me money to get Ruby's new shoes."

"So? They're your sisters."

Katy glared at him. "So what? It's not their job to bail us out, Tyler!"

"They obviously like doing it." He snapped back. "It gives them something to hold over you."

The girl's eyes widened and her jaw dropped, leaving her staring at him as the words sank in. Realising that he'd overstepped the mark, Tyler stepped forward quickly, trying to retract the statement and apologise at the same time.

"Katy… babe… I didn't mean…"

"Save it!" She ordered, stepping away from his hands as they reached for her. "I can't believe you actually think my sisters are trying to… whatever it is you think they're trying to do. I can't even look at you right now."

Turning on her heels she slammed out of the kitchen and stamped up the stairs to their bedroom. Pulling out an overnight bag she started pushing clothes into it, grabbing a couple of Ruby's outfits and toys, before stamping back down to the hall and moving to the front door.

"Don't…" Tyler started. Her hand hesitated on the latch as she waited for him to finish his request. But nothing came and she closed her eyes for a second before opening the door and walking out.

* * *

_**A/N: Firstly – thank you to everyone who's read/reviewed the last couple of chapters! It really does mean a lot!**_

_**Secondly – I am so sorry for the delay in updating. The Easter holidays have been slightly mental; the first week I went on holiday with my cousins and last week I was at my parents because my Dad was having an operation. They're also having building work done and their internet is down. Two weeks with just my phone internet – which I tried to limit so that my bill didn't give me a heart attack – is apparently almost too much for me to deal with without going mad! **_

_**Thirdly – for various reasons, (massive amounts of self-doubt, writers' block, work, exhaustion, etc.) I feel like my writing abilities are suffering and I was wondering whether you lovely people would do me a favour. **_

_**If you have any prompts for one-shot mini-fics that you'd like me to have a go at, shove them in my ask box on tumblr (there's a link on my profile) and I'll give them a go. I want to keep them on tumblr rather than here because I'm still slightly confused over the fact I've already managed to write and post 41 fics. So yeah, if you tell me what show/characters/ships/scenarios you'd like me to tackle I'll give them a go around struggling with my multi-chapter fics! The only things I won't write are smut (because my attempts are laughably bad) and RPF (because writing about fictional characters is one thing, real people is something else…) and obviously shows I don't watch!**_

_**Thank you so much darlings!**_

_**Bex x**_


	116. Chapter 116

"You have to stop doing this!" Ronnie snapped at her sister a week or so later. Katy was still sleeping in her old bedroom at the flat and point-blank refusing to speak to her fiancé. "Tyler won't put up with your irrational behaviour for long; baby or no baby. You're going to lose him."

"You have no right to judge me!" The brunette retorted furiously. "You have no right to tell me how to treat Tyler. What about how you treated Jack?"

The blonde's eyes widened for a moment and her hands gripped the counter top so hard that her knuckles went white. "Don't you–"

"I'm sorry." Katy sighed, banging her head down onto her folded arms on the kitchen table. "I didn't mean that. I just… I can't… I'm sorry."

As though she was fighting her temper, Ronnie turned back to the younger woman and took a breath. "Go and sort things out. You're not staying here any longer."

"Are… are you kicking me out?"

"No. Well, yes. But you need to work out what exactly it is you want."

Clenching her jaw, Katy stood up abruptly, putting a hand on the tiny bulge of her stomach. She turned and went into her bedroom, slamming the door and starting to throw hers and Ruby's things into bags. Once she'd gathered everything together, she slung the bags over her shoulder and went back out into the living room. Without even looking at her sister she scooped the toddler off the floor and marched out, slamming the flat door behind her.

She was angry, at herself more than anyone else. She didn't understand why she was acting the way she was. The easiest explanation was hormones. Now that she was three months gone, the young woman decided that it was the only thing that made sense. Running her hand over her stomach again, she took a deep breath and headed back towards the house she shared with her fiancé. Katy didn't expect him to forgive her easily this time; she'd done too much to hurt him.

Letting herself in felt wrong. Instead she banged the knocker against the door and waited for him to answer. There was a peal of laughter from inside and Katy felt a pang in her chest as a dark shadow moved towards the door. Lauren pulled it open and blinked a couple of times at the sight of her best friend standing on the step.

"K? Did you forget your keys or…?"

"No, I… it didn't feel right just barging in."

"Who is–?" Tyler appeared from the living room and stopped instantly. "Oh…"

"Hi."

Lauren looked between them awkwardly. "I'm gonna…"

Katy smiled weakly as the girl slipped past her and headed away across the Square. Then she slowly turned her eyes back to Tyler's, unable to meet his for a moment. She didn't know what to say; what she could possibly say to make anything better.

"I… I'm sorry. I don't…"

"It's…" Tyler stopped. He had obviously been about to assure her that everything was OK. But it wasn't. "I don't know if I can carry on like this."

"I know…"

"I love you, babe, but I can't… I can't handle you losing your shit and leaving me every time I say something you don't like. One minute you're holding onto me so tight and the next you can't seem to be far enough away. I can't…"

"I…" Katy was genuinely lost for words. She didn't understand how she could explain things, but she knew he was right. "I know you're right. I just… I don't know…"

He took a tentative step towards her. "Talk to me."

"I don't know… I don't know why I feel like this."

"Is it… do you not love me anymore?"

Katy's eyes met Tyler's then and widened in shock. "No! I… I do love you. And that… that scared me."

"We can work through this, baby." He promised her, closing the gap and pulling her into his arms. Tyler pressed a kiss to Ruby's head as well. "We will get through this."

In an attempt to get things back on track, Tyler decided that they should tell people about the baby. Secrets, he had decided, were part of their problem and so they needed to get rid of as many of them as they could.

As expected, most of their friends were excited at the thought of another baby. It made the teenager uncomfortable that everyone kept talking about them being a perfect little family. It was too much pressure. Tyler, realising what her sudden mood swings must be down to, made it his mission to lessen the stress and asked people to stop fussing over her.

Gradually things seemed to get back to normal. Ronnie forgave her sister's outburst and the three Mitchell women spent more time together, planning Katy and Tyler's wedding and making arrangements for the baby's arrival.

"Tyler…" Katy groaned, swatting at his arm and hauling herself off the sofa one Saturday afternoon. "Come on… let's take Rubes out for some fresh air. It's a gorgeous day."

"Oh, babe… do we have to?" He complained, reaching out and patting her stomach. "D'you know what? I thought you were huge when you were pregnant with Ruby, but you're gonna be even bigger with this one."

She leant down and smacked him hard on the side of the head. "Cheers! I'm only fifteen weeks pregnant. You always know how to make me feel good about myself, don't you?"

"You know you're gorgeous." He told her. Standing up, he rubbed her stomach and kissed her cheek. "Come on then, let's go to the park."

Grinning at him, the pregnant brunette handed him her daughter's shoes and went to get the pram and their coats from the kitchen where they'd left them. Once they had loaded Ruby into the pram, they headed out of the house in the direction of the swings. Katy laughed as Tyler told her a series of rubbish jokes pushing him and snuggling under his arm as he wrapped it round her, his other hand pushing the pram.

"D'you know what? I reckon it's a boy." He said thoughtfully.

She frowned. "Why?"

"I've just got a feeling Rubes is gonna have a little brother in six months' time."

"How much d'you wanna bet?" Katy asked, grinning at him.

"Twenty quid?"

The pregnant woman laughed and nodded, leaning up to kiss him, sealing the bet. They continued slowly through the gardens and she rubbed her stomach, wondering whether he was right. Katy had no idea how he could possibly tell, although she had to admit that she'd had a feeling that Ruby would be a girl before she'd found out. Maybe Tyler was right after all.

As they passed the Vic, she stopped abruptly. "Oh my god… you have got to be kidding me…"

"What?" Her fiancé demanded, looking around to see what she was talking about.

"See that woman?" Katy asked, motioning towards a blonde standing on the pavement, staring thoughtfully at the sign of the Queen Vic. "That's Glenda; Ronnie and Roxy's Mum."

"Eh?" Tyler glanced at her quickly. "Should we go and say hello?"

"Hello?" Arching an eyebrow, Katy glared in Glenda's direction. "I wanna know what the hell she thinks she's doing here."

Before he could ask what she meant, his fiancée stormed towards the blonde, coming to a halt in front of her and folding her arms. Glenda looked at her appraisingly, her eyes travelling up and down the brunette's body slowly. A disdainful sneer settled over her features for a moment, before she twisted her lips into a smile.

"Katherine, how… lovely… to see you. Still here, then? How are you?"

"What are you doing here, Glenda?" Katy demanded, ignoring the obviously fake niceties the woman directed at her.

"I've come to see my daughters."

"I can't imagine they're going to be too thrilled to see you." Before Glenda could reply, Tyler joined them. The woman smiled at him flirtily, causing Katy to roll her eyes and exhale sharply. "Babe, this is Glenda; Ronnie and Roxy's Mum. This is Tyler, my fiancé."

"Pleased to meet you, Tyler." Glenda said, holding out her hand for him to shake. "I never expected to hear Katherine saying that she was getting married. And who," she bent down to tickle Ruby under her chin, "is this little cutie. It's not Veronica's little one, is it? No, he'd be older than this."

"She's mine."

"Her name's Ruby." Tyler informed the blonde when Katy frowned and looked away without elaborating. "She's nineteen months."

"Nineteen months, eh?" The woman raised an eyebrow, obviously doing some very quick maths. "So you were pregnant before I left? And, funnily enough, I think I'd remember someone as good-looking as your fiancé here, so I'm guessing he's not her father."

"What's it got to do with you?"

"I was just making an observation, Katherine. You're still as moody as ever, I see."

"It's Katy, not Katherine, and I'm not moody." The young woman snapped. She glanced at the Vic. "If you're looking for my sisters you won't find them in there."

Wrapping her arm around Tyler's waist, she pulled him in the direction of the playground. Tyler glanced over his shoulder and saw Glenda staring after them, a frown on her face. As he turned, she smiled and gave him a little wave.

"She seems nice." He said with a shrug. "She was right, though. You were proper rude to her."

"I can tell you've never met Glenda Mitchell before. She's pure evil, trust me. Ron and Rox are gonna do their nuts when they see her."

"She can't be that bad."

Katy snorted with laughter and scooped Ruby out of the pram, settling her in one of the kiddy swings and pushing her gently. "Where do I start? She walked out on Ronnie and Roxy and didn't see them for twenty-one years, then turned up just after Dad died. Then it turned out that she had a son, who she said was Archie's, but he wasn't. Danny was a psycho anyway, so that wasn't a loss… Then… then she had affairs with Phil AND Ian, tried to ruin Phil and Shirl's relationship and then stole Roxy's money."

"OK… maybe she is that bad…" Tyler agreed, taking over pushing the swing so that Katy could sit on the other, rocking backwards and forwards gently. "She sounds… lovely."

"She's a bitch."

"How d'you reckon your sisters are gonna react to her being here?"

"They'll go mental."

* * *

_**A/N: Sorry this update's been so long coming! My inspiration sorta died... I know where this is going, it's just GETTING there that's the problem! :/**_

_**Anyway, Glenda's back! Can't be a good thing, surely? ;)**_

_**x**_


	117. Chapter 117

_**A/N: I'm so sorry it's taken AGES to update. I've been working and on holiday and so, so busy! I do feel really bad making you wait so long between updates, but hopefully you'll enjoy this anyway! :)**_

_**x**_

* * *

The next morning Katy blinked several times, screwing up her face against the morning sunlight and wondering what the strange buzzing in her head was. Beside her, Tyler groaned and rolled over, dragging the blankets with him.

"Answer your bloody phone babe." He muttered sleepily.

Exhaling sharply, the young woman reached for her mobile on the bedside cabinet and pulled herself up to lean back against the headboard. With a yawn, she accepted the call without seeing who was ringing.

"What?"

"Katy… did you know my Mum was here?" Ronnie's voice was tense and cold and her sister closed her eyes at the sadness she could hear there.

"I bumped into her yesterday."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because… because I knew you'd fly off the handle." Katy tried to explain. "I told Glenda that you wouldn't want to see her and I hoped she'd leave. I'm guessing she didn't?"

"No, she didn't. She turned up here in the middle of the night claiming poverty and that Danny had beaten her up."

"I wouldn't put that past him…"

"But why is she HERE?" Ronnie demanded, as though her younger sister knew the answer. "What does she want, because Glenda always wants something."

Katy sighed and shrugged. "I don't know, Ron. But it's Glenda. Whatever she wants it's not gonna be good."

"I know…"

There was a long silence, punctuated by Tyler's soft snoring. "Ron… you can't let her in again. You know that, right?"

"I know, sweetheart." The older sister agreed with a sigh. "I won't. She… she's poison."

"Good." Katy nodded, relieved. "Listen… I'll come over in a bit and… be moral support?"

"Thank you."

Two hours later Katy found herself standing in the middle of Ronnie and Jack's living room with Ruby balanced on her hip, glaring at Glenda. The blonde tilted her head suspiciously, glaring back. Neither said anything while they waited for Ronnie and Roxy to re-emerge from the kitchen where they'd retreated to discuss what to do.

"What are you even doing here?" Glenda snapped at the young brunette. "What has this got to do with you?"

"My sisters asked me to come, so I'm here."

"My daughters asked you to be involved in our business?"

Katy couldn't stop herself laughing. "You're mental. Ronnie and Roxy are in there trying to work out how to ask you to leave. They don't want you here."

"We'll see." Glenda shrugged, unaffected by the brunette's words or tone.

"No, we won't. They don't need you and they don't want you."

Glenda's face darkened considerably and she opened her mouth to reply, but the door to the kitchen opened at that moment and she whirled around, smiling warmly at her daughters. "Girls?"

"Mum… we think maybe you should go." Roxy started slowly.

"It's best for everyone." Ronnie agreed harshly.

"But… I'm your mother."

Ronnie snorted. "Really? Could have fooled me."

"Please… Roxanne… Veronica…"

"No." The oldest of the sisters shook her head violently. "No… just… go."

Glenda looked between her daughters, before nodding slowly and leaving. When she'd gone, the blondes hugged each other tightly, beckoning their sister to join them.

It seemed as though Glenda was avoiding Katy and the young brunette didn't see her sisters' mother for a couple of days. When she did finally run into her, heading to work at the R&R, the atmosphere between the two was decidedly frosty.

"You're a barmaid?" The blonde asked, arching an eyebrow. "In your condition?"

"I'm pregnant, not ill." Katy snapped back. "Besides, Ronnie's six weeks further along than me and she's still working."

"Veronica is mainly in the office, though, isn't she?" Glenda retorted.

"Her name's Ronnie and so what? It's not like I'm in danger, is it? I'm perfectly capable of pouring drinks and taking the punters' cash."

Glenda smiled at her, the warmth not meeting her eyes. "If you say so, dear."

Rolling her eyes and exhaling sharply in exasperation, the young woman stalked away in the direction of the club. She hated that Glenda could get under her skin so easily. It was probably because the woman was a constant reminder that Ronnie and Roxy were only her half-sisters; not that it really mattered. But it was still there, after all this time, the constant nagging feeling that she wasn't a real Mitchell; that she didn't have the shared history that Ronnie and Roxy did.

Her anger didn't really vanish throughout the evening. When Lauren rolled in much later, obviously already having drunk enough to sink a ship, Katy sighed deeply. Her patience with her friend was wearing thin. Every time Lauren needed support the older girl had been there, but every time Lauren had messed up. Katy knew that she, too, had messed up consistently, but her friend didn't seem to be making any effort to change. Now, since breaking up with Joey, things were getting worse.

"I think you've had enough." Katy sighed, shaking her head as Lauren ordered a double vodka. "Come on, babe. Go home."

"Don't ruin my fun, Mummy!" Her friend laughed, leaning clumsily over the bar to tap her rounded stomach. "We're not all boring and responsib... responsibil… responsibilitied."

Rolling her eyes, the barmaid attracted the attention of one of the other barmaids and signalled that she was going to take her friend home. Ignoring Lauren's protests, she propelled her out of the room, up the stairs and out into the street. The bouncers grinned at her, used to Lauren's behaviour.

"Come on…" Katy sighed, wrapping an arm around the younger girl's waist as she directed her towards the Square. "Why do you do this to yourself, eh?"

"Like you can talk… you walk out on Tyler all the time." Lauren slurred. Her friend guessed that she wouldn't remember this conversation in the morning. "You're crap, d'you know that?"

"I'm sorry?"

"You're crap… Tyler is… everything he does is for you and Ruby and you get mad and leave him and most of the time he doesn't even know what he's done."

"You don't even know what you're talking about, Lauren." Katy snapped, fighting against the urge to just dump the drunk teenager on the bench in the gardens and leave her there. "Because you're such a great girlfriend? You couldn't even be bothered to turn up and watch Joey running the marathon. When you're engaged with a kid and another one on the way I might listen to your relationship advice. But while you're still getting absolutely wasted on a regular basis I don't think I'll bother."

By now they'd reached the steps up to Lauren's house. Katy dumped her unceremoniously on the doorstep, leaning her against the wall and rang the bell. After a couple of moments, Tanya appeared in her dressing gown with a towel wrapped around her hair.

"Katy? What– Lauren!" The woman exclaimed, looking between her daughter and the pregnant brunette.

"I thought I should bring her home before she put herself or someone else in danger." Katy informed the blonde bluntly. "Wish I hadn't bothered now…"

Tanya manhandled Lauren inside and sat her on the stairs, before turning to the older girl questioningly. "What did she do?"

"It's not what she did… it's what she said."

"What did she say?"

Katy sighed. "Something that's true but I'd prefer not to hear someone else telling me."

"Listen, darlin', what Lauren says when she's drunk… she wouldn't have wanted to upset you. You're her best friend and I know that she would fall apart without you to support her."

"Maybe… but I can't deal with her getting out of control, Tan. I'm supposed to be at work!"

"I know and I'm grateful to you for bringing her home." Tanya pulled Katy into a tight hug. "I'll deal with her for now. You get back… be careful."

With a nod and a weak smile, the brunette turned and left, heading quickly across the Square and back to work. She knew Lauren was right about how she treated Tyler and that hurt more than what she'd actually said.


	118. Chapter 118

"You look knackered." Whitney said a couple of days later as the pair wandered through the market with Ruby in her pram.

"Cheers, babe." Katy laughed softly, managing to stifle a yawn. "How are things with you?"

"Cash is tight, but when isn't it? Everyone's missing Liam, but at least he's safe at Ricky's. Me and Fats are good."

They approached Lauren as they chatted, reaching her just in time to hear the younger girl let out an angry growl. The other two exchanged a look as they came to a halt.

"You OK?" Whit asked, raising an eyebrow. Katy just looked at her, well aware that Lauren didn't remember their conversation from the other night, but unwilling to let it go either.

"_Yeah… I was just asking him for fifty quid, but…_" Lauren informed them, looking around with a slightly wild look in her eyes. She looked as though she'd been dragged through a hedge backwards; her hair matted and tangled and her clothes dishevelled.

"_You've been out again all night, ain't ya?_"

Lauren rolled her eyes. "_Yes. Not like I've got anything better to do, is it?_"

"_Ian's looking for a waitress._" Whitney told her, evidently taking pity on their friend. Katy arched an eyebrow, knowing that the girl had been planning on going for the job herself. "_He's taking on two… you should earn a bit of cash. Show Joey you can hold actually something together._"

"_Yeah… the last time I worked for Ian Beale I got sacked._" Lauren reminded them. "_I pushed his bin over._"

Unable to help the giggles that rose up inside her at that memory, Katy laughed. "Yeah, maybe try not to do that this time if he offers you a job."

"_He's alright… he's mellowed._" Whitney added with a small shrug.

Before they could say anything else on the matter, Ian's voice cut through the quiet on the Square, shouting about cement before sacking the man he was talking too without any sort of discussion at all. Lauren sent the older girls a look that clearly said she highly doubted he'd changed at all.

Katy winced. "Well… he's not AS bad."

"_Yeah… he's a bit of a plonker._" Whitney conceded. "_He's got a bit of a temper. Don't think anyone else is gonna go for it._"

"I might as well, then… ain't got nothing to lose, have I?"

* * *

Katy was not talking to Lauren. After everything they'd been through, everything they'd done for the other, Lauren had tried to kiss Tyler. And not for the first time. The Mitchell had finally had enough of her friend doing what she wanted without thinking about the consequences and that was it.

The problem with that, however, was that now she needed to find a new babysitter. Ronnie and Roxy had decided that they needed to go and look at dresses and Katy didn't think her daughter would enjoy sitting around in her pram while her mother and Aunts tried on dress after dress. Whitney and Lola were both working and Dot had a headache and didn't feel up to looking after the toddler. It was as she was wandering across the Square wondering whether she could persuade Bianca or Carol to watch her daughter, that inspiration struck.

Struggling up the steps with the pram, Katy knocked on the front door and waited for someone to answer. After a couple of moments, footsteps approached and a dark shadow fell on the small glass window at the top.

"Hey, Tan." Katy smiled warmly.

The blonde beamed, leaning forward to hug the younger woman, before bending to tickle Ruby's stomach. "Katy, hi. Lauren's not–"

"I'm not here to see Lauren." The brunette almost snapped before she could stop herself. Forcing her face into a smile, she shrugged. "I was wondering whether you could do me a favour? Ronnie and Roxy are taking me wedding dress shopping and I was wondering whether you'd watch Rubes for a couple of hours?"

"I've got to pop over to the Salon to check on a couple of things, but if you don't mind me taking her with me–"

"No!" Katy assured her at once. "That's fine. You're a lifesaver!"

Tanya smiled warmly. "It's a pleasure."

Katy laughed, rubbing a hand over her expanding stomach. "If only I could leave this one with you, too."

"How pregnant are you now?" The blonde asked, tentatively reaching out to touch the bump. When the young woman didn't flinch away, she pressed her hand more firmly over her stomach.

"Four months."

Sighing, Tanya retracted her hand. "You're a good kid, Katy. I wish my Lauren…"

Katy wasn't exactly sure where the woman had been going with her words, but she got the gist. Smiling weakly, the brunette reached out and squeezed Tanya's arm. "She'll be OK when she sorts herself out. She doesn't realise how lucky she is to have such a good Mum."

Tanya laughed, almost bitterly. "Well, I expect you need to get off. Come and collect her whenever you're ready. We'll have fun, won't we Rubes!"

Warning her daughter to be good, Katy waved at them both, before heading down the steps and making her way over to the Vic. She smiled at Tracey, who informed her that Ronnie and Roxy were upstairs, before going to join them. The blondes grinned at her and the elder of the two made her a mug of tea. For a while they chatted about what they were looking for. Katy allowed her sisters to take charge of the conversation. She had no idea what most of the things they mentioned were and she was happy to let them take control, as long as she was allowed to have the final decision.

Almost two hours later they found themselves standing outside a fancy looking boutique in the West End. Katy raised an eyebrow, guessing that the prices would be way out of her reach, but Ronnie assured her that they were simply there to see what she liked so that they could narrow their search.

"We've got another surprise for you, too." Roxy said, unable to hide her excitement.

Katy frowned and followed her gaze into the shop where she saw an older, blonde woman sitting comfortably in a large white armchair and flicking through a magazine. The young woman beamed at her sisters, before throwing open the shop door and rushing towards the blonde.

"Auntie Peggy!" She exclaimed, almost throwing herself into the woman's arms.

"Darling!" The woman returned the hug with an equal amount of enthusiasm before pulling away to examine her step-daughter critically. "You're glowing!"

Katy laughed. "It's so good to see you!"

"You too. When Ronnie and Roxy told me that you were coming to look for dresses I decided I couldn't miss it!"

Their moment was interrupted by a snooty looking shop assistant who swept towards them and enquired as to how she could help. Peggy fixed her with a fierce gaze and explained that they wanted to see wedding dresses and bridesmaid's dresses. The woman clearly thought that they didn't belong in the shop, but didn't comment. Instead she smiled simperingly at Katy and ushered her through to the back of the shop where she started forcing flouncy, lace covered dresses at her.

What seemed like days later to the young woman, they finally left the boutique and went in search of a drink. Peggy insisted that it was her treat, offering the three sisters a cake in addition to their drinks. After some debate as to whether the cake or being able to fit into their dresses was more important, Ronnie and Roxy wandered over to the counter to peruse the fresh deserts on display.

"So, darlin', how are you?" Peggy asked, leaning forwards and lowering her voice as soon as they were alone. "How are things in Walford?"

"Fine."

Peggy arched an eyebrow. "Don't start that with me, Katy Mitchell. I know you better than that."

"Things are OK, Auntie Peg, I promise." The brunette tried to assure her, not wanting to worry the older woman. She saw at once that her step-mother wasn't buying it. "Well… mostly. But it's nothing important. Glenda's back and being a pain in the arse. She keeps popping up all over the place and trying to worm her way back in with Ron and Rox. So far it's not working, but…"

"You're worried they'll give in?"

"Yeah. No. I don't know." The girl sighed, running a hand unconsciously over her stomach. "You know what Glenda's like."

Nodding slowly, Peggy sighed. "I do."

"And then… sometimes I wonder…"

"What?"

"Sometimes I wonder if there's something wrong with me."

* * *

_**A/N: GUYS... RONNIE'S COMING BACK! Thanks to those of you who sent me messages to make sure I'd heard! How exciting is this news?! I actually cannot wait!**_

_**Anyway, as always, thank you for reading and reviewing and also being patient with my lack of updates! I've spent today catching up on this and now have a stock of chapters ready so hopefully updates will be a little more frequent! I've also written the last chapter *gasp* so now I just have to get there. It's gonna be a BUMPY ride. Trust me. Even I was shocked! ;)**_

_**x**_


	119. Chapter 119

"What d'you mean there's something wrong with you?" Peggy demanded, her eyebrows furrowing. Immediately her eyes darted down to the brunette's stomach warily.

"No, not the baby…" Katy assured her quickly. "I just… I lose control sometimes. I know people have noticed it, but they don't say anything. It's like… sometimes I'm overly clingy with Tyler, Ruby, Ronnie, Roxy, Jack… anyone I care about. And then at other times I can't even look at them without wanting to scream and physically get away from them. There's no reason for it… I just… lose control."

"Have you talked to anyone about it?" The older woman asked gently, reaching out and squeezing her hands.

Katy shook her head. "No… I can't."

"Why?"

"Because there's more…" She squeezed her eyes closed. "I… sometimes I… think I see my Mam. I can hear her voice. I know she's not there… I know she's dead… but…"

"Do you know what it is?" Peggy asked, the realisation that perhaps the young woman did know what was wrong with her suddenly entering her mind. The look Katy sent her confirmed her suspicions.

Biting her lip, the brunette jerked her shoulders in an approximation of a shrug. "I can't be sure, but… I think it might be one of the things my Mam had; BPD. The mood swings, the instability in my relationships, the sudden intense anger and then the emptiness, the paranoia, the hallucinations…"

"Katy, darlin', you have to go and see the doctor." The blonde insisted, shifting her chair closer and pulling the girl into her arms. "It'll all be fine."

"I can't." She repeated. "I just want everything to be normal."

"It will be when you get help. Me, your sisters, Ruby, Tyler… we'll all be there to help you. You're not alone like your mother was, Katy." When the young woman sighed into her shoulder, Peggy cupped her cheek. "What is BPD?"

"Borderline Personality Disorder… it affects your mood and how you interact with other people."

Peggy nodded slowly, tightening her arms around the young woman. "It'll be alright."

They broke apart when the voices of the blondes reached them. Sending the older woman a meaningful look, Katy smiled and tilted her head to one side as Roxy set the tray with their drinks down. She pushed a chocolate muffin towards her younger sister with a grin, before taking a large bite out of an extremely chocolatey looking slice of cake.

x-x

None of Katy's family and friends were quite sure why she had insisted on returning to Larkhall every other week since her release to visit. She had tried explain that Tina and the Julies and Pat were just as much her family or, at the very least, her friends too, but no one seemed to understand.

The day after dress shopping with her sisters and Peggy, Katy found herself outside the prison once more. The now familiar feeling settled in the pit of her stomach as she looked up at the uninviting building and she had to remind herself that she was able to walk out again as soon as visiting was over.

Moving Ruby to a more comfortable position on her hip, the girl took and breath and stalked towards the gate. Showing her visiting order to the guard, Katy allowed herself and her daughter to be searched, before they were ushered into the waiting area beside the visiting room.

"Mitchell." Bodybag's familiar voice met her ears and the brunette smirked, unable to help herself.

"Hi, Miss." She replied warmly, causing the officer's eyes to narrow in suspicion. "How are you?"

"Why do you want to know? Hoping I'm about to keel over?"

Katy chuckled. "Not at all. Just Shirley will want to know how you're keeping."

At the mention of the other woman, who Sylvia Hollamby insisted on referring to by her previous name of Yvonne Atkins, the prison officer paled significantly. She didn't say anything else to the young woman, merely sniffing and turning to address the whole room. As she reminded them of the rules and regulations of visiting time, Katy waited impatiently for the door to open.

Finally it did and they were ushered inside. Her smile widened as she spotted the small blonde woman waiting for her. Julie's grin split across her whole face as she stood to embrace the young woman and her daughter, cooing over the toddler and the bump of Katy's stomach, before they were told to sit down.

"You did Auntie Julie a picture, didn't you angel?" Katy asked her daughter, lifting her so that the little girl could toddle across the table top and sit in the blonde's lap.

Ruby nodded enthusiastically. "Is a house."

"Is it, sweetheart?" The blonde asked with a smile. "Well me and your Auntie Ju will put it on our wall and show everyone how clever you are."

"She did one for all four of you." Katy informed her, not needing to elaborate who she meant. "Although you and Julie won't be in here much longer, will you?"

Julie beamed. "Fingers crossed we'll be out this time in two weeks."

"That's brilliant!" The brunette beamed at her. "What are your plans?"

"I dunno… my David's all settled in his life now and Ju's kids are the same. I suppose we'll just find somewhere to live and some jobs and hope for the best."

"If you want I can put a word in with my sister. She owns part of a club in Walford. I'm sure there'll be some bar work or cleaning or something, if you're interested?"

"You'd do that?"

"Course I would." Katy shrugged. "You helped me in here and I'll help you out there." She paused. "I can't promise anything, Ju. Ronnie will be fine about it, and I can probably convince Phil, but I can't promise that Janine or Sharon will be happy."

Julie shrugged. "Just offering to help is more than I expected, sweetheart."

"I will try, I promise."

"I know you will." The older woman assured her with a smile.

Katy sighed. "I… it would be nice having you and Ju around. I mean, you get what it was like in here. You get what I went through and how I felt. Everyone else… they know that I'm not the same as I was before I was sent here, but they don't know how to deal with it. They just pretend it didn't happen. Having someone who understands… it might make me feel a bit more normal." She shook her head, looking at her clasped hands. "That's really selfish, I'm sor–"

"Don't apologise." Julie said firmly, reaching across the table and holding her hand tightly. "I understand what you mean. It's probably just difficult for them to think about you being in here without knowing what happened to you. They don't want to ask in case it upsets you, so they imagine the worst in their minds and that makes them uncomfortable."

"I guess…"

"But, what about Von… Shirley." Julie corrected herself. "Doesn't she–?"

"I don't really see much of her. Since her and Phil… it's difficult. Especially now he and Sharon…" The young woman broke off with a sigh. "I miss her, you know?"

Julie nodded. "Have you told her that?"

"Nah… this is Shirley Carter… Yvonne Atkins… we're talking about; hardened gangster's moll extraordinaire."

"You know her better than that, Katy."

"Yeah…"

"That's one thing this place never managed to knock out of me or Ju… faith."

Katy snorted, unable to stop herself. "I never had much of that before I came in…"

"No, I know. And I'm sorry about that." The blonde sighed. "But things are looking up now, right?"

"Right…" The young woman agreed, slightly half-heartedly, smiling weakly at her daughter.


	120. Chapter 120

_**A/N: I apologise in advance for what I'm about to do…**_

_**But thank you guys for reading/reviewing :)**_

_**x**_

_**P.S. to the Guest who reviewed on chapter 118 and asked whether there would be more Katy Mitchell stories after this one, the answer is I'm not sure. If there IS it'll be a 'ten years on' fic or something because, at the moment, there isn't REALLY much more I can do to Katy short of killing her! I think she's suffered enough in these three fics!**_

* * *

Glenda had been irritating, but mainly stayed out of Katy's way until the Friday after the girl had visited Julie in Larkhall. That day hadn't been a good one for the young woman and running into Glenda in the Vic that evening had taken it from bad to one of the worst days of her life; and that was saying a lot.

She had decided to take her friend's advice and go and speak to Shirley. When she'd tracked the blonde down, however, the older woman had brushed her off with a sigh that she had important things to do.

Then Katy had bumped into Lauren as she made her way towards the club in the hopes of finding her sister and being able to vent her frustrations. The two had stared at each other in the middle of the street for a while. The older girl wanted nothing more than for her friend to say something, anything, that would allow her to finally let go of her resentment and get their relationship back to where it had been. But Lauren just put her head down and walked away.

Ronnie hadn't been in a position to have a conversation when Katy arrived at the R&R. She had been simultaneously arguing with someone over the phone and trying to sort out the delivery that was wrongly sent to them. Sensing that she needed some assistance the brunette pulled the clipboard from her hands, receiving a grateful smile from her sister, before launching into an argument with the stubborn man who insisted that it was the right stock.

By the time she dropped onto the sofa in her living room that evening, Katy wanted nothing more than to fall asleep. But Tyler had other ideas. He pestered her until she finally agreed to go to the Vic with him for a couple of drinks. Apparently their friends had been complaining that they never did anything anymore and Katy couldn't exactly argue with that.

Reluctantly she changed Ruby into her pyjamas and gathered up her favourite teddies. They made their way across the Square and into the pub. Smiling at Alfie, who told her that Roxy had gone to pick up James so that she could keep an eye on him while Ronnie was working and Jack was out, she carried her daughter upstairs and tucked her in beside Amy, bending to press a kiss to both girls' foreheads.

There was an orange juice waiting for her when she returned to the pub. Katy gratefully took a sip, listening to the conversations taking place at the table around her. It seemed as though everyone was there; Whitney and Fatboy, Lola and Dexter – they weren't a couple, apparently, but Katy could see the way her cousin looked at the boy – Jay and Abi, Lucy, Poppy, Joey and Alice. The only person missing was Lauren and Katy sighed softly, wishing that things would just sort themselves out. And, by things, she meant Lauren.

As Joey returned to their crowded table with another round of drinks, Katy felt a hand on her shoulder, clutching much harder than was necessary. Turning, she found herself looking up at the scowling face of her sisters' mother. Glenda had clearly had several drinks too many and was swaying slightly on her feet.

"What d'you want?" Katy asked, in no mood to deal with the woman. "I don't know what your problem is this time, but–"

"You… you spiteful little cow!" Glenda screamed.

Katy laughed. "Me? You're calling me a spiteful cow?"

"You've always been there, haven't you? Getting between me and my girls; always sticking your nose into my business, making sure they see the worst in me. You're a manipulative, attention-seeking little girl who doesn't understand anything."

"They didn't need any help from me to see what you're really like… everyone can see it." The pregnant woman shouted back, jumping to her feet and advancing on the blonde so that Glenda had to back up. She stumbled slightly in her too high heels, clutching the bar for support.

Joey stepped forwards and grasped Katy's arm but she shook him off. The young woman's gaze remained fixed on Glenda, all of her anger and frustration pouring into her veins and preventing her thinking rationally.

By now, the entire pub had gone silent, watching the exchange between the two Mitchell women in confusion. Whitney had run out of the building to try and find Ronnie and Roxy, while Lucy had gone in search of Tyler who had left earlier after a phone call from his older brother. No one else seemed willing to get between the two warring women, especially when Glenda leapt at the younger woman furiously.

Katy pushed her back, her eyes flashing furiously. "Don't even think about it, Grandma! I might be four months pregnant but I can still take you any day!"

"Yeah? I wouldn't expect anything less from a cheap little criminal like you!"

"D'you wanna take this upstairs ladies?" Alfie asked, acutely aware of the effect their argument would have on his trade. "A bit of privacy, yeah?"

"I don't think–" Fatboy started, obviously about to voice how bad an idea leaving the two alone would be, but his friend glared at him.

Katy turned her scowl on Glenda, before she stormed through the door beside the bar, stamping up the stairs. She pushed open the door of the living room and stood with her hands on her hips, waiting for the blonde to appear so they could resume their argument.

Moments later footsteps on the landing alerted her that Glenda was coming and she hardened her gaze. For a moment her mind flickered to the two little girls lying asleep down the hall, but she pushed them out of her mind, focusing on her anger instead.

"You're never going to get rid of me, Katherine." Glenda told her, walking through the door and smirking. "My daughters are already coming round. We went for coffee earlier, just the three of us." Seeing the expression on the brunette's face, she chuckled. "They didn't say anything to you, did they? What does that tell you?"

Before Glenda could react, Katy drew back her fist and punched the older woman in the face. There was a gasp of surprise, as the blonde raised a hand to her face in shock. Ignoring the throbbing in her knuckles, Katy smirked in satisfaction, seeing a trickle of blood running from the woman's nose.

"You stay away from my sisters or you'll be very, very sorry. Understand?" The brunette warned in a low voice, jabbing her finger close to Glenda's face threateningly.

When the woman didn't reply, Katy turned to stalk down the stairs and out of the pub. Halfway down, she felt a hand on her back and she stumbled. The force of the shove sent her flying forwards and she let out a scream of anguish as she fell, tumbling down the steps and crashing to the floor in a heap.

For the second time that evening, everyone in the pub went silent. From her position on the floor, Katy tried to pull herself to her feet. She whimpered and clutched her stomach, taking short, sharp breaths to try and combat the crippling pains in her stomach. As the cramps intensified, she started sobbing in terror, knowing that something was very wrong.

"Oh my goodness, Katherine!" Glenda shouted from upstairs, rushing down and crouching beside her. She tried to hold the young woman's hand, but Katy pushed her away, sobbing with pain.

The Vic doors banged open and Ronnie and Roxy rushed into the pub, looking around for their younger sister. As one they gasped as they spotted her through the doorway over the bar, lying on the floor and their mother sitting next to her with blood on her face. Everyone was just standing around, evidently not knowing what to do, as the young woman sobbed and ran a hand over her baby bump, fear obvious on her face.

"Katy? Sweetheart?" Ronnie gasped, rushing round the bar and dropping to the floor beside her sister, running a hand over the brunette's stomach. She glanced at Roxy as Katy moaned in pain again. "Rox, call an ambulance. Now."

"What happened?" The younger blonde demanded, glaring at her mother.

"Rox… ambulance!" Ronnie reminded her urgently.


	121. Chapter 121

Ronnie and Roxy were sitting on the hard plastic seats in the corridor outside the room Katy had been taken to when Tyler appeared, looking terrified. His face was a funny shade of grey and he was staring around wildly. When his eyes landed on his future sisters-in-law he rushed towards them waving his hands around in agitation.

"Where is she?" He demanded. "What happened? Is she OK? I got here as quickly as I could."

"Tyler… sit down." Ronnie told him gently, standing up and pushing him into her recently vacated seat. "Listen, sweetheart… Katy lost the baby."

"She…" The young man didn't get to finish his sentence as he burst into tears.

Roxy followed suit, sobbing loudly as she hugged him tightly. Ronnie bit her lip, refusing to cry, trying to comfort the two of them. She knew it was pointless, remembering all too well what she'd gone through when she'd lost her own baby. But someone had to stay strong and, as usual, it looked like it was down to Ronnie. Moving a hand to her own stomach, she briefly wondered how Katy would cope with seeing her bump every day and then how her sister would deal with the baby when it was born.

"Mrs Branning?" Ronnie glanced up as the nurse attracted her attention. "You can see your sister now."

"Is she OK?" Tyler demanded.

The nurse looked confused. "And you are?"

"I'm Tyler… Tyler Moon… Katy's fiancé."

"Oh, right. I'm sorry, Mr Moon." She said, sending him a sympathetic look. "We did everything we could, but the trauma that occurred during Miss Mitchell's fall damaged the placenta and caused her to miscarry. We had to induce labour, but I'm afraid your baby had already died. Katy's settled now, so you can go in."

She showed them into the room where Katy was. It was bland and depressing and the only sound was the low humming and occasionally beeping of the medical machinery. The young woman was curled up on her side in the bed, facing away from them. She didn't look round as the door opened and her family entered. She didn't even react when Ronnie moved to sit on the chair beside the bed and Roxy sat beside her, nervously smoothing the sheets. Tyler hovered by the door, unsure what to do.

Reaching out, Ronnie ran a hand lightly over her sister's forehead, brushing her hair out of her face. Katy flinched at the contact, a fresh wave of silent tears coursing down her cheeks. The blonde sighed and looked at Roxy and then Tyler.

"How're you feeling?" She asked gently, knowing from experience it wasn't the best question to ask in this situation, but unable to stop herself.

"Empty." Katy admitted.

"It'll get easier." The blonde promised, holding her hand tightly. "I know you don't want to hear that now, but it will get easier."

With a sniff, the young woman sat up straight. She winced at the movement, leaning against the metal headboard of the bed and looked around. Her eyes fell on Tyler who seemed to be struggling to think of something to say. The expression on his face sent a fresh wave of guilt and grief through Katy. She knew she should have stayed out of trouble, like he'd asked her to over and over again. It was her fault their baby was dead.

Rather than give in to the feelings that were threatening to completely engulf her, she took a deep breath and set her face in a determined frown. "Ty… we need to… umm… we need to sort a funeral… think of a name. I'm not burying my baby without a name. He deserves better than that."

"He? It was a boy?"

"Yeah…" She confirmed, struggling against the tears that were building up in her eyes. "A boy… just like you said. Our little boy…"

This was too much for Tyler and he turned and left, banging the door behind him. Katy's bottom lip wobbled as she watched him go, but she refused to cry any more. The time between losing the baby and her sisters and Tyler arriving had been spent either crying her eyes out or in numb silence.

Instead she turned to her sisters and smiled weakly. "I guess it's down to me, then."

"Give him a chance, Katy." Ronnie murmured. "He's not as strong as you."

"I'll kill Mum for this." Roxy spat, breaking off from crying for a couple of moments. "I'll kill her."

"It was my fault." The brunette mumbled, shaking her head. "Tyler told me to leave it. He told me to stay out of trouble. You both told me to stay out of Glenda's way. But I couldn't leave it alone."

"It's not your fault!"

She shook her head. "It is, though, Ron. It took me so long to get my head around the idea of having another baby; it took me until now to realise that I actually wanted him. But then I lost him anyway. It's my fault he died… I didn't love him enough."

Ronnie leant forward and put her hands on either side of Katy's face. "No, Katy, no!" She said firmly. "You loved your baby. He died because of Glenda. And she's going to pay for what she's done."

x-x

"Are you sure she's alright to be discharged?" Roxy demanded a couple of days after her sister had lost her baby. Katy had been kept in under observation for the weekend, but now Ronnie was helping Katy get dressed so she could leave and the middle sister was bombarding a nurse with questions. "There aren't any complications or anything?"

"Physically, she's perfectly healthy. There were no complications after the miscarriage, so with a bit of rest she'll be back on her feet in no time." The woman assured her. "Mentally, it might take a lot longer."

Roxy sighed. "Ronnie lost a baby in a similar way a few years ago. She's the best person to help Katy through this. She's always the best person to help Katy through things…" The blonde sat heavily on the plastic seat and put her head in her hands. "Sometimes I feel so left out."

The nurse looked at her awkwardly for a moment, before sitting beside her. "I'm sure it's not like that. Katy was asking for both of you. When she was told that Mrs Branning was here, she specifically asked about you."

"Really?" The blonde asked, sniffing and wiping her eyes. "Did she?"

"Yeah, she did. She obviously adores you both." When she received a weak smile, the nurse tilted her head to one side. "I was wondering… we haven't got any information on Katy's parents. She was asking for her Mum."

Roxy frowned. "Her Mum's dead."

"Oh… I'm sorry."

"It's fine; I never met her."

The door opened and Ronnie and Katy appeared in the doorway. Roxy smiled and stood up, thanking the nurse and wrapping an arm around her younger sister. She pressed a kiss to her head before leading the way out of the hospital, still wondering why the young woman had asked for her mother. The only reason she could imagine was that the drugs they'd given her to get through the labour had stopped her thinking straight.

Katy didn't say anything as they got into Ronnie's car and made their way back to Albert Square. It was only as they were drawing up outside Ronnie and Jack's flat that she finally spoke.

"He was so tiny… so tiny and so perfect. It's not fair."

Her sisters didn't know what to say. Ronnie smiled tightly, reaching out and squeezing Katy's hand. "Have you and Tyler had a chance to think of a name?"

"We decided on Oliver Archie Edward Moon." She examined her fingernails carefully, as though they were the most exciting things she'd ever seen. "I know it's a mouthful, but Ruby has two middle names and I refuse to treat my little boy any different just because… just because he's… he's dead."

"It's a lovely name." Roxy told her with a smile.

Ronnie, however, scowled. "Archie?"

"It's tradition, isn't it?" Katy told her quietly. "To re-use family names, I mean… you named James after Jack's dad. Amy and Ruby both have Margaret as a middle name after Auntie Peg and Rubes has got Karen after Mum..."

"Yes, but Archie? Why would you want to give your son _his_ name? Why would you want to give _him_ that honour?" The oldest of the sisters demanded.

"Tyler wanted to name the baby after his dad and I wanted to do the same, so we gave him both names. Archie was still my dad, Ronnie." Katy reminded her. "I might not have known him and you might be right that I'm lucky about that, but he was still my dad."

Getting out of the car, she headed away, leaving the two blondes staring after her.

Katy wasn't sure how she'd ended up at the allotments. After getting out of Ronnie's car, she'd just walked, not taking any notice of anyone or anything around her. The next thing she knew she was sitting on a bench staring at a patch of bare soil.

For a couple of minutes she just sat, staring at the ground. Pushing her hands into the pocket of her hoody, she felt the folded sheets of paper she'd put in there to keep safe and pulled them out slowly. She chewed her lip as she unfolded them, smoothing the sheets out on her knees and feeling tears burning in her eyes. One was the death certificate for a baby who was dead at birth and the other was a form from the hospital to give to the funeral directors. It informed them that the baby was born before 24 weeks and showed no signs of life. Her baby. Katy took several shallow breaths, before leaning sideways and being sick over the side of bench. Running one hand over her stomach, she closed her eyes tightly.

The young woman understood why Ronnie had reacted the way she had to the news that her nephew was going to be partly named after their father. It was completely understandable that hearing Archie's name would have thrown the blonde and Katy didn't blame her for being annoyed. But it was none of Ronnie's business what she named her baby. He was hers. Not Ronnie's and not Roxy's. Hers.

"Oliver Archie Edward Moon." Katy murmured, staring at the certificate. "Don't worry, baby, she'll pay for what she did."

* * *

_**A/N: Thanks for reading guys! And thank you Gillian Kearney Fan and Leah for your reviews :)**_

_**Leah! I don't THINK I could work your idea into this, but if I do a 'ten years on' thing, then it will definitely involve a lot of Amy/James/Ruby interaction. It's not that I think it's daft or anything like that, I just can't see how I could do it considering they're all just babies. Sorry, chick!**_


	122. Chapter 122

"You alright with Ruby for a bit?" Katy asked, heading into the living room and grabbing her purse off the coffee table over a week after being released from hospital. She shrugged her jacket on, looking as though she didn't particularly care what Tyler's answer was going to be.

"Where are you going?" He demanded. "My lunch break is over; I've got to get back to work."

Katy shrugged. "Well… drop her with Jean or something."

"Katy? What…?"

Before he was able to get anything else out of his mouth, she was gone, slamming the front door behind her. Katy strode across the Square and headed down Bridge Street. Pushing open the door of Booty and heading inside. She smiled at Poppy and Lola, tilting her head slightly to one side.

"What can we do for you?" Poppy asked with a smile. Katy's own smile dropped slightly as she saw the pity on the girl's face.

"I wanna go blonde." At once her expression hardened and she spoke firmly, taking off her jacket and draping it over the back of a chair.

"Change of image?" The beautician asked, guiding her into a chair and wrapping a gown around her. "Aww… I don't blame you. After a big event in your life, especially a sad one, it's always good to do something different, isn't it?"

Katy stared at her in the mirror. Poppy met the eyes staring back at her and blushed. Taking pity on the obviously flustered woman, Katy smiled tightly. It didn't meet her eyes and didn't do much to relax the stylist. "Yeah, you're right."

As Poppy bustled around getting everything ready, she glanced at her warily. "Are you definitely sure you want to do this? I'm gonna have to use colour remover to strip the colour out of your hair and–"

"Yeah, Poppy, I'm sure." She replied impatiently.

Katy said nothing as the girl set about bleaching and dying her hair. Poppy babbled on about various things but her client didn't respond. She made no sign at all that she was even listening. In fact, the Mitchell wasn't listening. Instead she was replaying her son's funeral in her head. It had been a whole week since she'd had to say goodbye properly and the young woman didn't know if she could handle it.

Ronnie and Roxy had helped her and Tyler with the arrangements, being forced to take over when their younger sister or her fiancé couldn't handle it any more. Katy's emotions were fluctuating even more wildly than usual, although no one mentioned her mood swings. No one really knew what to say to her and most people were avoiding her. When she did bump into anyone they sent her the same sympathetic, pitying look and told her the same cliché phrases over and over again until Katy felt her blood boiling.

And then, while making lunch that morning, she'd developed a strong urge to dye her hair; to change the way she looked in an attempt to distance herself from the aching in her heart. Rationally she knew that it wouldn't help but part of her was telling her that it would make things better. Giving into the impulse she'd decided to get it done.

Several hours later Poppy showed her the results of her hard work. Katy couldn't muster any enthusiasm for her appearance and the beautician's face fell, wondering whether she'd done something or it wasn't what Katy had wanted. Smiling weakly, the Mitchell thanked her and left her a generous tip.

As she was leaving the Salon, Katy decided on a whim to go for a drink. She knew that going to the Vic would involve more of the uncomfortable pity she'd been receiving and so turned and walked into the tube station. She got on a train and travelled a couple of stops before getting off and setting off in search of a pub.

x-x

"Where the hell have you been?" Tyler shouted when his fiancée almost fell through the front door hours later.

She looked at him expressionlessly, before turning wordlessly and heading up the stairs. The young man clenched his jaw and followed her. He had the presence of mind to lower his voice rather than wake Ruby, hissing angrily instead.

"Katy? Where were you? Poppy asked me if I liked your hair nearly seven hours ago!"

"For god's sake!" She slurred. "Can't I go for a drink without you being on my case? We're not married yet!"

Tyler exhaled sharply and shook his head. "I can't talk to you when you get like this."

Grabbing his pillow and a blanket from the top of the wardrobe he left the room and stormed down the stairs. Katy heard the living room door slam but, seconds later, she was asleep.

The next morning the young woman felt as though someone was drilling through her skull. She winced as she pulled herself to leant against the headboard, cradling her head in her hands and taking several deep breaths. She was considering turning over and going back to sleep when she heard a shout from her daughter's bedroom and groaned. Apparently Tyler had already gone out, because there was no sound of footsteps on the stairs. Rolling ungracefully out of bed and onto her feet, Katy gritted her teeth and padded along the corridor.

"Mummy!" Ruby called as soon as the young woman opened the door.

She tried to smile at the toddler, but the pain in her head and the way her stomach churned made her feel more like running from the room and throwing up.

"Hey, baby…" She murmured, scooping Ruby out of the cot with a sigh. "You wanna go play with Amy and Tommy?"

"Yes!" Ruby shouted excitedly, making her mother wince.

Dressing the toddler quickly, Katy bundled her into her highchair before pulling on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and pulling out her mobile. Sending Roxy a text, she headed back downstairs to make herself a coffee.

Walking into the kitchen, she went straight to the kettle. Leaning against the counter, she breathed deeply, before reaching into the top cupboard for a box of paracetamol. Popping two from the packet, she dry swallowed them, before turning to look at her daughter.

"What the hell…?" She growled, her eyes widening as she took in the mess Ruby had managed to create in the couple of minutes she'd been left alone.

Ruby had ripped her toast apart and smeared the jam on it all over the tray of her highchair, her face, her hair and her clothes. Somehow she'd managed to remove the lid of her cup and tipped her juice all over the floor. Katy stared at her for a moment, before feeling rage bubbling up inside her.

"Why did you do that?" She shouted at her daughter. The little girl blinked at her, eyes wide. Her lip started to wobble as her mother snatched her out of the highchair and plonked her on the counter by the sink, rubbing the jam off her face and hands roughly. "I really don't need your crap today, Ruby. Can't you just, for once, not make a mess? Why do you have to be…" She growled again and clamped the toddler against her hip, stamping into the living room and setting her down. "Don't you dare make a mess in here."

Her mobile buzzed as she made her way upstairs to get clean clothes for her daughter and she glanced at the text from Roxy; **'Can't have her today, sorry. Got to go to the cash and carry and then I've got a meeting with the suppliers about a new deal. Ron's got Amy, she might take Ruby too. R xxx'**

Irritated beyond belief, Katy hit her elder sister's number in her speed dial list and clamped her mobile between her ear and her shoulder, pulling clothes out of the cupboard in Ruby's room. As Ronnie answered the call, a pile of clothes tumbled to the ground and the young women let out a stream of swear words.

"Katy?"

"Ronnie… I need you to look after Ruby today."

"Why?" The blonde sounded distracted. There was a pause and Katy could imagine her sister frowning. "Where were you yesterday? Tyler was going out of his mind."

"I just needed some space, OK?" The young woman snapped. Then she took a breath. "Look, can you watch Ruby because I'm going to lose it big time pretty soon."

"I'm not looking after your daughter because you're hungover."

"Alright, I'll go out and leave her here then."

"You wouldn't."

"Try me." Katy threatened, kicking the pile of clothes on the floor out of her way and carrying the dress she'd selected down to the living room. "For fu–"

"What?"

The younger sister stared at the toys strewn around her living room, the sofa cushions haphazardly thrown around and Ruby sitting in the middle of the mess with a triumphant smile on her face. "I swear to god, Ruby, do not push me today!"

Turning away from the scene, she pushed the heel of her palm into her forehead and took several deep breaths. She was so angry she could barely think straight. At that moment the young woman knew that she needed to get out of there.

"Ronnie, I mean it. You need to take her or…"

"Give me five minutes."

* * *

**_A/N: Thank you so much for reading and leaving reviews, guys. I'm so grateful that you're sticking with this - even though I'm being rubbish at updating frequently! I'm finding it tough to make this go where I'm intending it to. But it will get there, I promise!_**

**_Also, Leah I did the one-shot you requested! About bloody time, I know! It's on my tumblr! :)_**

**_x_**


	123. Chapter 123

Katy barely waited for Ronnie to enter her house with Amy and James in tow, before pushing past her and walking briskly across the Square with her head down and her hands pushed deep in her pockets. Apparently being blonde worked in her favour, because most of the people she passed didn't even spare her a second glance. Reaching the war memorial she allowed herself to pause for a moment, sinking onto the bench and putting her head in her hands.

She sighed irritably as her peace was interrupted by a group of obviously drunk men staggering in the direction of the tube station. It was only half past ten in the morning and Katy guessed that they'd been drinking since the night before. She kept her gaze focused on her hands, avoiding meeting their eyes.

"That blonde behind the bar in the pub... she'd definitely get it!" One of the men shouted drunkenly, slurring his words and laughing at himself. "I bet she's right dirty!"

"Oi!" Katy snapped, her anger reaching boiling point. "Watch your mouth, yeah?"

The men laughed. The one who'd spoken lurched round and attempted to fix his gaze on Katy as she stood quickly, her hands clenching into fists at her sides and moved towards him.

"What? Is she your Mum or something?" He asked, receiving an appreciative peal of laughter from his friends.

"No, knob head; she's my sister." Katy informed him, bringing her fist up sharply to connect with his face.

The man groaned and stumbled backwards into the group of men behind him, shock on fury etched on his face. They pushed him upright and back towards the young woman, encouraging him to teach her a lesson. Katy stood her ground as the shouting got louder. Her hand was aching furiously from her first punch, but as he got closer, she raised it again. Taking advantage of his drunkenness, she punched him again, causing him to fall.

"Oi!" A furious shout from behind her caught their attention and the pounding of feet on concrete heralded the arrival of several people. Katy looked round to see Joe and Mac, the bouncers from R&R, rushing to her rescue. "What's going on?"

"Her... mad bitch." One of the men snapped, pointing at Katy. He reached down and pulled his inured friend to his feet. "She lamped Nick for no reason."

"There was a reason and you know it." Katy retorted angrily.

"Yeah, well, I think you should go." Mac ordered. "Come on, darl."

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her away while Joe stood his ground until the group of men wandered away in the direction of the tube station once more. As the huge man attempted to lead her towards the club, Katy shook her head firmly and peeled herself out from under his arm. Ronnie wasn't there and she didn't feel like talking to Phil or Sharon or Janine. She thought that the Julies, who she'd managed to persuade her sister and step-brother to hire as cleaners after their release at the beginning of the week, might be working, but she couldn't bring herself to take the risk that she'd run into someone else who'd want to talk to her.

Thanking the men for stepping in, the young woman turned away and wandered off down the road. She knew that as soon as she was out of sight they would be on the phone to her sister telling her what had happened. At that moment, though, Katy couldn't have cared less. She flexed her hand, running a finger over her bruised knuckles and wincing at the sharp pain that rushed up her arm as she pressed firmly on the damaged area.

Glenda had been keeping a low profile since the incident. Despite the fact that Katy, as much as she hated the woman, refused to talk to the police about what had happened, there was no evidence that Glenda had anything to do with her falling down the stairs. Ronnie and Roxy had threatened her themselves, but after her initial fury towards their mother, Katy found that she didn't much care about her either way.

Now, though, she had the urge to track the blonde down and yell at her until she felt better. Apparently now punching her again was not an option, unless she used her left hand. Looking down at the hand in question thoughtfully, she seriously considered that option. The only problem was Katy had no idea where Glenda might be. She didn't particularly fancy wandering around Albert Square looking for the woman, because that would lead to more of the sympathetic looks that were helping to fire up her anger even more. Katy wanted to get rid of her anger, not be consumed by it.

Struck by a sudden overwhelming desire to be somewhere quiet and alone, Katy slipped into the Launderette, closing the door behind her and flipping the sign to 'closed'. There was a cough behind her and the young woman whirled around and found herself face to face with the blonde she'd been thinking about tracking down.

"Katherine, I…"

"Save it." She snapped, stalking past her and leaning on the counter. There was no sign of Dot or Cora, so Katy assumed that whoever had been here had left Glenda to hold the fort. "I don't want to hear your excuses or protests that you're innocent. We both know you pushed me."

"I'm sorry." Glenda murmured. "I never meant–"

"You're sorry?" Katy whirled round and got closer to the blonde. She narrowed her eyes and leant forward, jabbing her finger into Glenda's face. "You murdered my son and you're **sorry**?"

"I'm sorry you slipped and I couldn't catch you in time." The blonde qualified.

Katy's mouth dropped open. "You bitch! You lying bitch!"

"Katherine, you really need to learn to find a better way of dealing with your hatred of me. You're jealous, deluded–"

There was a loud cracking sound as Katy's hand made contact with Glenda's cheek. In the split second she took to consider her actions she decided that slapping the woman, rather than punching her, would spare the pain in her knuckles.

"You wanna watch your back, Glenda," the young woman warned her in a low, dangerous voice, "because this is so not over."

* * *

_**A/N: Argh! My laptop is dead! That means that I can only update the chapters which I already uploaded, which is basically this one.**_

_**I am borrowing my Mam's laptop - thank god my cousin has to drive past where my parents live to pick up her son from uni! - but I don't know if I should really write fanfiction on it, seeing as she'll spot it as soon as she opens Word and be like, "what is this?" That would be awkward... unless I disguise it as something else... *puts MI5 hat on and attempts to be sly...***_

_**Anyway, this is just a warning that there may not be updates for a while - and I know, they haven't been very regular anyway! I'm sorry!**_

_**x**_


	124. Chapter 124

Ronnie took a deep breath, wondering what she could say to her sister to stop her overreacting. It was Sunday afternoon and, after Katy had been charge of locking up the club the night before, the older Mitchell had entered the building and almost fainted in horror. Someone had broken in and robbed them.

When the blonde had made her way round to the R&R the first thing that stuck her was that the door had been locked. The inside had been trashed; the optics smashed and the furniture thrown haphazardly around the room, but there was no sign that either of the doors had been forced in any way. She frowned at the realisation, examining the door more closely. Her eyebrows furrowed as she comprehended that the only way that could have happened was that Katy hadn't locked up or it had happened before she had left.

As she hurried along Bridge Street to check what had happened with her sister, she ran into Glenda. Her eyes narrowed and she looked past the older woman pointedly, but her mother reached out and grasped her arm. As Ronnie eyed it with distaste, Glenda let go.

"Veronica… I… I don't know how to tell you this."

"What?" Ronnie sighed exasperatedly, folding her arms.

"This morning I was walking past the R&R and I heard…"

"What did you hear?" Her daughter asked, suddenly interested in what she had to say.

Glenda bit her lip. "I heard someone inside. I didn't think much of it, but then I heard a crash. I was about to phone you, but then Katherine came out and locked the door. Is everything OK?"

"Katy? Are you sure?" Ronnie demanded. "What time was this?"

"Early, it was about six."

The younger woman narrowed her eyes. "What were you doing out so early?"

"I've started jogging again… you know how much I enjoyed running." Glenda smiled gently. "But… what's going on? Why was Katherine doing there at that time?"

"I don't know." Ronnie admitted, shaking her head slowly.

Saying a hasty goodbye, forgetting that she was furious with her mother, the blonde stalked away quickly. Unable to believe that her sister would have done that, Ronnie headed to Katy and Tyler's, knocking on the door and waiting for it to be opened. The younger Mitchell opened it, sucking jam off her thumb and smiling brightly at her sister.

"Hey, you alright?" She asked, standing aside and letting Ronnie in.

"Katy… did you lock up properly last night?"

"Course."

Ronnie frowned. "The club's been trashed, Katy."

"What?" The younger woman frowned. "How did they get in?"

"I have no idea. Neither of the doors were forced and there was no sign that anyone had broken in at all. The door was locked when I arrived."

"So…"

"So either you didn't close the door properly, someone went in and robbed us and then closed the door after themselves or the club got trashed before you left."

"But if it got trashed before I left…" Katy trailed off, understanding appearing on her face. "You think it was me?" She narrowed her eyes and scowled at her sister, folding her arms. "Are you serious? You think I robbed the club?"

"Glenda said… she said she saw you there early this morning. She said she heard crashes and was about to phone me, but then you walked out and locked the door."

The young woman's eyes widened as she realised what was being implied. "You don't believe her?"

Ronnie hesitated. That was enough for the younger woman to fly off the handle. A red mist descended and all of a sudden she was screaming at her sister furiously. Katy pushed Ronnie into the wall behind her furiously.

"Katy! Stop!"

"I can't believe you would even think that! Why would you believe her?"

"I don't know what you're thinking anymore. I don't know you anymore." Her sister tried to defend herself. "I know it's hard for you at the moment… I know you've lost so much… but Roxy and me… we don't know what to do, Katy."

"You know what you can do?" The younger Mitchell asked, leaning close and lowering her voice threateningly. "You can stay out of my life. You're a selfish, cold bitch, Veronica. You're just like your mother. All of you… the Mitchells… you look down on me just because I'm not part of the elite club. I didn't meet you until I was too old to be of any interest to any of you. I just got in the way, caused trouble… well you know what? I don't need any of you." She pushed Ronnie violently towards the door, shoving her through it. "I'm done with this family. I'm done with you and Roxy and the whole sodding lot of you."

"Katy!"

But the door was slammed in Ronnie's face. The older woman banged on the glass and shouted through the letter box desperately, but there was no response. After about ten minutes she gave up, deciding that her sister needed time to calm down. Although Ronnie was hurt by Katy's words, she knew that it hadn't been tactful to mention that Glenda had said anything.

Ronnie wanted to believe her sister, but she couldn't understand why her mother would lie. She knew that Glenda didn't like Katy, but since Oliver's death, the older woman had been doing her best to atone for what she'd done. Ronnie was still sickened that her mother had had anything to do with the incident at all, but she didn't know what to believe or think or do anymore. Her sister's behaviour was so erratic lately that it was only too easy to believe that she was more than capable of robbing the club and lying about it.

The more the blonde thought about it, the more it made sense. She grew angrier and angrier about Katy's behaviour and her words. It physically hurt the blonde that her sister wanted nothing more to do with them after everything they'd been through. Ronnie couldn't believe how angry Katy had been, but there was no doubt in her mind that the young woman had meant every single word that she'd said.

A week passed and then two and still Katy hadn't spoken to her. Ronnie had been hoping that she would come crawling back, her tail between her legs, apologising for what she'd said. The older woman would have forgiven her at once, welcoming her with open arms. But Katy didn't come. She hadn't spoken to any of the Mitchells since the argument. Roxy had tried speaking to her, as had Lola and Jay. Even Peggy had tried phoning several times, but Katy refused to answer any calls or answer the door to any of them.

As more and more time passed without any sign of her sister, the less forgiving Ronnie grew. Roxy was furious as well, more about what Katy had said to their sister than anything else. When Ronnie had finally given up trying to get the younger woman to open the door after their argument, she had gone to the Vic and told Roxy what had happened. The middle Mitchell sister had stormed round to give Katy a piece of her mind but, all she'd received in return, was an order to 'fuck off' shouted through the letter box.

Neither of them had any idea what to do.

* * *

**_A/N: _****_I have flu (I know, who gets flu in June?!) which is why you're getting an update when I should be at work! So broken laptop AND flu... This is not my week..._**

**_X_**


	125. Chapter 125

"Ronnie?" Tyler knocked nervously on the R&R office door and poked his head inside; wary about the reaction he'd get from his fiancée's sister. "Can I have a word?"

"What about?" She snapped, glancing up over the top of the computer screen.

"Katy."

The woman exhaled sharply and leant back in her chair, folding her arms and fixing the young man with a fierce glare. "I've said all I have to say. Or, rather, she said all she has to say."

"No… I don't mean about your fight." When Ronnie didn't reply, he took it as a green light for their conversation and moved to perch awkwardly on the edge of the sofa opposite the desk. "Katy's mum… Karen… what exactly was wrong with her?"

"Depression. Look, Tyler, I'm not really sure. Katy didn't like talking about it. All she said was that she was depressed and on loads of tablets." Ronnie told him with a shrug. "What's this about?"

"Is it like… passed down? Could Katy have got it from her Mum?"

Ronnie laughed and shook her head. "My little sister isn't… She's our father's daughter, through and through."

"But this isn't like her, though." Tyler argued. "She's not herself."

"You really don't know her very well, do you?"

"I do, alright, and I know this isn't her." He persisted. "You haven't seen her in three weeks, Ronnie. She's really changed. D'you know what she almost did the other day? Katy almost hit Ruby. That's not Katy… she would never…"

"Well clearly she did." The blonde said in a hard voice. "Katy's more and more like Archie every day. D'you know what? I hate to admit it but Mum was right. Katy's a manipulative, attention-seeking little brat."

"She isn't!" Tyler argued. "You know that deep down. Think about it, Ronnie… When you or Roxy need her I don't get a look in. It's always been you three, for as long as I remember. I know Jack feels the same. He told me how much Katy stuck up for you after James was born and you were struggling. Now she's struggling and where are you, eh?"

Glaring at him, the woman stood up, pulling her cardigan tightly around her. As her hands brushed over her bump she paused. Ronnie opened her mouth to say something then closed it hurriedly. She shrugged and turned away, unsure how to word what she was trying to tell him. Tyler watched her carefully, waiting for the blonde to straighten her thoughts.

"Where is she?"

"Visiting her mate... Pat."

"In Larkhall?" Ronnie frowned.

"She never misses it. I asked her about it, but all she ever says is that they're family; the Julies, Tina, Pat... Tina's been living in our house since she got released. Every opportunity she gets she's off with them Julies and all."

"Is Ruby with her?"

"Nah… she barely looks at Ruby anymore."

"Well where is she? Where's my niece?" Ronnie demanded.

Tyler sighed. "She's with Jean. I took her over to the Vic on my way here."

"I'll go and get her."

"No, Ronnie, she's fine. It's Katy we need to worry about right now. She's not right."

"I've got her Auntie's number around here somewhere. I'll give her a call and see what she can remember about Karen's illness. That's the best I can do, Tyler." Ronnie told him firmly. "Katy made it perfectly clear she wanted nothing more to do with me, Rox or anyone with the surname Mitchell."

"She was scared."

"Scared?" The woman laughed, shaking her head and smiling mirthlessly. "Scared of what, exactly? Me? Rox? Phil?" She laughed again. "Katy isn't scared of anyone. No, don't tell me she was scared, Tyler, because I don't believe it. She didn't get her own way and she didn't like it, that's what it was."

"No, Ronnie, you're wrong." Tyler almost shouted. "Katy was scared."

"Do me a favour!"

"She was."

Ronnie shook her head. "Alright, if you're so sure she was scared then enlighten me. Tell me what she was scared of."

"You!"

The blonde blinked at his tone. "Me?"

"Yeah, you, Ronnie." Tyler shouted. "Katy is terrified of you."

Feeling as though he'd physically punched her, Ronnie recoiled. She wracked her brains desperately trying to work out what she could possibly have done to scare the young woman. She had a short fuse and she could be harsh and cold, but she had always been the same and Katy had never been scared before.

"What d'you mean? Katy's terrified… of me?"

He shook his head slightly, frowning at her. "Don't worry, she's not scared you'll hit her or anything like that. She's scared that she'll never live up to your expectations. She's scared she's not good enough to be yours and Roxy's sister. And, for some ridiculous reason Katy's scared that this is it; that you'll never speak to her again. She thinks you won't ever want to have anything to do with her after this."

"Why would she think that? She's the one who–" Ronnie stopped, taking a breath and calming herself. "How do you know that's what she thinks? From where I'm standing she's the one that doesn't want anything to do with us."

"I overheard her talking to Tina."

"Tina? She hasn't spoken to you about it?"

"She isn't speaking to me at all." Tyler admitted bitterly. "She ain't said a word to me for days."

The blonde looked at him curiously. "Why?"

"I didn't think Tina staying with us was a good idea." He explained with a shrug. "I pointed out that it's only been just over a month since… since we lost Oliver… I said that maybe she should rethink the offer she made and ask Tina to find somewhere else to stay. Katy went mental."

Ronnie paused, narrowing her eyes as he looked away. "What aren't you telling me?"

"When I say she went mental, I mean she really went mental. It's a miracle we've got any plates and mugs left."

"Maybe you've got a point…" The blonde conceded warily. "Maybe there is something wrong with Katy."


	126. Chapter 126

Ronnie rang the doorbell later that evening and waited for someone to answer it. A couple of moments later, the sound of her niece screaming got louder and a dark shape appeared behind the glass of the door.

"Ronnie, hi…" Tyler muttered, shifting Ruby in his arms as she cried and squirmed. "Katy's not here."

"Give her here…" The blonde instructed, holding out her arms. Gratefully he handed the toddler over, frowning slightly as she instantly quietened, replacing the screams with angry snuffles. "Where is she? The Vic?"

Tyler shook his head, leading the way through to the kitchen. "She hasn't been back since she left for prison. I've rung her, but she's not answering."

"What?" Ronnie stared at him in disbelief. She remembered that visiting ended at three from when she and Roxy had been forced to sit on the other side of a table in a bleak visiting room just to speak to their sister for an hour every two weeks. "What about Tina? Does she know where she is?"

"Nah… she came back about five with the Julies and said she was going to stay with them for a while. Apparently she's realised that me and Katy need some space." He glanced up. "You don't reckon she's with them?"

The blonde pursed her lips, thinking hard, bouncing Ruby on her hip. "Nah, I don't think so. Those three haven't got the brains to cover for her." Sighing, she handed Ruby back to Tyler now that she was quiet. "But this is exactly like Katy, doing a disappearing act when things get tough."

"Yeah? Remember what happened when she did a disappearing act before? She ended up in prison. Or before that, when she got raped." He reminded her.

"Not in front of Ruby." Ronnie snapped.

"Oh? Pretending everything's OK is gonna make it alright, is it?" He snapped back.

"No, Tyler, no it's not!" The woman shouted. "But I don't know what to do!"

She dropped onto the kitchen chair and put her head in her hands. Tyler watched her awkwardly for a couple of minutes, before taking Ruby into the living room and switching on the television for her. He made sure she was occupied, before heading back to join Ronnie in the kitchen. Folding his arms, Tyler leant against the cabinets and surveyed the blonde carefully for a couple of moments, his face setting into one of determination.

"What do we do then? We have to find her."

"I'll ring her; if she won't answer your calls she might answer mine. It's a long shot and I probably won't get any response, but I can't do nothing."

Tyler watched as Ronnie pulled out her mobile and scrolled through her contacts. She frowned at how far down her recent calls list she had to go to find her sister's number. Ronnie was used to the top three numbers belonging to Katy, Roxy and Jack, but now even the company that cleaned the club and the firm that recently redecorated the VIP room were higher on her calls list than her younger sister's.

"What d'you want?" Katy's voice demanded down the phone, to Ronnie's surprise.

"Where are you?"

There was a long pause. "Why d'you care?"

Ronnie opened her mouth to tell her not to be stupid and of course she cared. Then she closed it again quickly. "Tyler's worried and Ruby's upset… your daughter is missing you, Katy."

"I need some space. Ruby's fine with Tyler for a couple of days."

"That's not the point! Where are you?" Her older sister demanded.

"Auntie Peggy's."

Squeezing her eyes closed, Ronnie ran a hand through her hair. "Alright, fine. I'll ring you tomorrow and let you know how your daughter is, shall I?"

"Yeah, great. Thanks, Ronnie, I…" There was a pause and then the line went dead.

The blonde dropped her phone on the table with a clunk before burying her head in her hands again. She exhaled sharply and ran her hands through her hair once more.

"Well?" Tyler demanded impatiently. "Did she say where she is?"

"She said she's at Auntie Peggy's." As he stood, grabbing his jacket, she put out a hand and stopped him. "She's not there. I know my sister and she gave me that answer far too easily."

"If you knew her as well as you think you do, you wouldn't have believed your Mum over her. Katy never trashed the club; why would she? She loves that place. You know how much working there means to her."

"She didn't deny it."

"Katy shouldn't have to!"

Exhaling sharply, Ronnie shook her head. She knew that Tyler was right but, as usual, she had a problem admitting it. Instead she stood up and leant against the kitchen counters, folding her arms. They just stood for a moment or two in uneasy silence.

"Have you got a number for Tina or the Julies?"

"Err… yeah… somewhere…" Tyler agreed hesitantly, looking around. He moved to the fridge and pulled a couple of scraps of paper from underneath a magnet.

Ronnie's attention was caught by the magnet for a minute. It was one of the cheap, tourist ones you got from the seaside. The blonde remembered exactly when Katy had got that particular one; a day trip the three sisters had taken to Southend the summer before James was born, not long after she and Jack had got engaged. She sighed and looked back at Tyler, trying to concentrate on the matter at hand.

"Is that it?"

"Yeah… this is Tina's and these are the Julies'." He told her, passing the scraps over paper to her quickly.

Pulling out her mobile the woman nodded and dialled the first number. She waited a while for it to be answered, almost giving up. Suddenly, though, she heard a voice on the other end.

"Hi, is that Julie Saunders?" She asked hurriedly. "This is Ronnie Branning; Katy's sister."

"Oh, you alright, darlin'?" The woman asked. She must have covered the speaker for a moment, because her voice was muffled in Ronnie's ear. "It's Katy's sister, Ju."

"I was just wondering whether she was with you. Tyler's worried because she hasn't come back after visiting Larkhall." Ronnie explained.

"Really? Hang on… Tina? Oi, Tina! You got any idea where K's gone? Her sister reckons she ain't come home after going to see Pat."

"Nah… she told me she'd come and see us tomorrow, before she went to Larkhall earlier. She never mentioned going nowhere else. D'you think she's alright?"

"I dunno, do I?"

Ronnie closed her eyes as she heard the conversation taking place at the other end of the phone. Glancing over at Tyler, she shook her head sharply and he groaned, looking defeated.

"Sorry, Ronnie." Julie said, making the woman jump as her voice came back louder in her ear. "Tina says she–"

"Yeah, I heard." Ronnie told her quickly. "Look… Katy or Tina probably told you we'd had an argument… but I… we… we need to find her."

"After what happened before?" Julie asked.

Ronnie frowned. "What d'you mean?"

"Ruby's real dad…"

"She told you?" The blonde asked incredulously.

Julie hesitated. "Look, darlin', what you've got to realise is that in prison you get close to people quickly. Either that, or you keep yourself to yourself completely. Katy's like family to us. It's not something you can really understand unless you've been there yourself."

"She's my sister…"

"I know that. While we were inside she was always banging on about you and Roxy. We got sick of hearing about you both, truth be told." Julie told her. Then she laughed softly. "That was a joke, sweetheart… the getting sick of it part, I mean."

"Right." Ronnie bit her lip. "Listen, I've got to go. Just… let me know if you hear anything."

Without waiting for the woman to reply she hung up and dropped her phone onto the kitchen table.

"Anything?"

"Nothing." She said bluntly.


End file.
